§2641. Witnesses; inspection of documents

(a) Except as otherwise provided by law, in any civil action in the Court of International Trade, each party and its counsel shall have an opportunity to introduce evidence, to hear and cross-examine the witnesses of the other party, and to inspect all samples and papers admitted or offered as evidence, as prescribed by the rules of the court. Except as provided in section 2639 of this title, subsection (b) of this section, or the rules of the court, the Federal Rules of Evidence shall apply to all civil actions in the Court of International Trade.

(b) The Court of International Trade may order that trade secrets and commercial or financial information which is privileged and confidential, or any information provided to the United States by any foreign government or foreign person, may be disclosed to a party, its counsel, or any other person under such terms and conditions as the court may order.

(Added Pub. L. 96–417, title III, §301, Oct. 10, 1980, 94 Stat. 1737 .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Federal Rules of Evidence, referred to in subsec. (a), are set out in the Appendix to this title.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 2641, act June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 982 , authorized the Customs Court to assess a penalty of not less than $5 nor more than $250 against any person filing a frivolous protest or appeal, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 91–271, title I, §121, June 2, 1970, 84 Stat. 281 .