§411. Supreme Court reports; printing, binding, and distribution

(a) The decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States shall be printed, bound, and distributed in the preliminary prints and bound volumes of the United States Reports as soon as practicable after rendition, to be charged to the proper appropriation for the judiciary. The number and distribution of the copies shall be under the control of the Joint Committee on Printing.

(b) Reports printed prior to June 12, 1926, shall not be furnished the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, or the Secretary of the Air Force.

(c) The Director of the Government Publishing Office, or other printer designated by the Supreme Court of the United States, upon request, shall furnish to the Superintendent of Documents the reports required to be distributed under the provisions of this section.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 904 ; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, §68, 63 Stat. 99 ; Oct. 31, 1951, ch. 655, §41, 65 Stat. 725 ; July 10, 1952, ch. 632, §4, 66 Stat. 540 ; Pub. L. 113–235, div. H, title I, §1301(d), Dec. 16, 2014, 128 Stat. 2537 .)

Historical and Revision Notes

1948 Act

Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §334 (Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, §227, 36 Stat. 1154 ; Mar. 4, 1911, ch. 285, §1, 36 Stat. 1419 ; July 1, 1922, ch. 267, §3, 42 Stat. 816 ; June 12, 1926, ch. 568, 44 Stat. 736 ; Jan. 29, 1929, ch. 113, 45 Stat. 1143 ; Mar. 2, 1929, ch. 488, §1, 45 Stat. 1475 ; July 3, 1930, ch. 863, §1, 46 Stat. 1016 ; Feb. 23, 1931, ch. 276, §30, 46 Stat. 1214 ; May 17, 1932, ch. 190, 47 Stat. 158 ; June 30, 1932, ch. 314, §501, 47 Stat. 415 ; May 10, 1934, ch. 277, §512, 48 Stat. 758 ; Ex. Ord. No. 6166, §§12, 14, June 10, 1933; June 7, 1934, ch. 426, 48 Stat. 926 ; May 27, 1936, ch. 463, §1, 49 Stat. 1380 ; June 20, 1936, ch. 630, §5, 49 Stat. 1549 ; June 25, 1936, ch. 804, 49 Stat. 1921 ).

Requirements for printing, binding, and issuing Supreme Court decisions "within eight months after said decisions have been rendered by the Supreme Court" and provision for distribution "within said period" were omitted. The phrase "as soon as practicable after rendition" was made the time for publishing such decisions as more flexible and practicable.

The words "the United States Court for China" were omitted inasmuch as that court is no longer functioning. The Secretary of State by an arrangement with China has relinquished the extraterritorial jurisdiction previously exercised by the United States in China. The 1944 Legislative and Judiciary Appropriation Act approved June 28, 1943, made no appropriation for the United States Court for China. Appropriations for other courts were made in title II of chapter 173 (57 Stat. 241). The last appropriation for the United States Court for China was in the act of July 2, 1942 (ch. 472, title IV, 56 Stat. 502).

The words "to the Secretary of War for the use of the proper courts and officers of the Philippine Islands, seven copies" were omitted in view of the independence of the Philippines, effective July 4, 1946.

The phrase "justice or judge of the United States" obviated repetition of names of courts. (See definitive section 451 of this title.)

Last sentence, fourth paragraph, of section 334 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., requiring that books should remain the property of the United States and should be preserved and turned over to successors in office, was omitted as covered by section 414 of this title.

A reference to the United States attorney for the District of Columbia was omitted as covered by "each United States attorney."

Provision authorizing distribution of volumes under this section to each place where a court of appeals is held was added for purposes of uniformity. See similar provision in section 413 of this title.

The revised section substitutes the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts in lieu of the Attorney General insofar as distribution of volumes to the judiciary is concerned. This change is consistent with the duties of the former under section 601 et seq. of this title.

Provision of section 334 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., as to the custody, use and delivery to successors was omitted as obsolete on advice of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts.

The limitation of 10 copies to the library of the Supreme Court and 6 copies to the marshal of the Supreme Court for use of the justices, was omitted and the provision for distribution in such number "specified by the Chief Justice of the United States" was substituted therefor.

Authority for making an appropriation to carry into effect the provisions of this section is contained in section 336 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Acts July 1, 1922, ch. 267, §5, 42 Stat. 818 ; May 29, 1926, ch. 425, §3, 44 Stat. 678 which is omitted, but not repealed, as unnecessary in this revision.

Changes were made in phraseology and arrangement.

1949 Act

Subsection (a) of this section substitutes, in section 411(a) of title 28, U.S.C., "Secretary of the Army" and "Department of the Army" for "Secretary of War" and "War Department," in view of such redesignation by act of July 26, 1947 (ch. 343, title II, §205(a), 61 Stat. 501). It substitutes, in section 411(a), "Commissioner of Customs; Commandant of the Coast Guard" for "Chief of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation," in view of the abolishment of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation, and the transfer of its functions to, and the division thereof between, the Commissioner of Customs and the Commandant of the Coast Guard, by 1946 Reorganization Plan No. 3, §§101–104, effective July 16, 1946 (11 F.R. 7875, 60 Stat. 1097).

It substitutes, in such section 411(a), "Director of the Bureau of Land Management" for "Commissioner of the General Land Office," in view of section 403 of such plan which abolished the General Land Office and created the Bureau of Land Management, headed by a Director. It inserts as new, in such section 411(a), references to the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Air Force, and Judge Advocate General of the Air Force, in view of the creation of the National Military Establishment, headed by the Secretary of Defense, and the establishment of the Department of the Air Force in 1947.

Subsection (b) of this section redesignates, in section 411(b) of title 28, U.S.C., the Secretary of War as "Secretary of the Army," for the reasons stated above, and corrects a typographical error in the word "court-martial".

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1952-Act July 10, 1952, amended section generally to provide for flexibility in the printing and distribution of the reports under congressional control.

1951-Subsec. (c). Act Oct. 31, 1951, in second par., substituted "Secretary of the Army" for "Secretary of War".

1949-Subsec. (a). Act May 24, 1949, §68(a), inserted "Secretary of Defense", "Secretary of the Air Force", and "Judge Advocate General of the Air Force" where appearing, and substituted "Secretary of the Army" for "Secretary of War", "Department of the Army" for "War Department", "Director of the Bureau of Land Management" for "Commissioner of the General Land Office", "Commissioner of Customs, Commandant of the Coast Guard" for "Chief of the Bureau of Marine Inspection", and "Chief of Forest Service, Department of Agriculture" for "Chief Forester, National Park Service, Department of the Interior".

Subsec. (b). Act May 24, 1949, §68(b), substituted "Secretary of the Army" for "Secretary of War" and "Court-martial" for "courtmartial".

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

"Director of the Government Publishing Office" substituted for "Public Printer" in subsec. (c) on authority of section 1301(d) of Pub. L. 113–235, set out as a note under section 301 of Title 44, Public Printing and Documents.