18 U.S.C. § 1501
Section 1501 · Assault on process server
Amended 4 times on record
Applied in 60 court decisions — leading case 195 L. Ed. 2d 560 - Birchfield v. N. Dakota. William Robert Bernard (2016)
Most recently applied in United States v. Troy Sargent (June 2024)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Whoever knowingly and willfully obstructs, resists, or opposes any officer of the United States, or other person duly authorized, in serving, or attempting to serve or execute, any legal or judicial writ or process of any court of the United States, or United States commissioner; or
Whoever assaults, beats, or wounds any officer or other person duly authorized, knowing him to be such officer, or other person so duly authorized, in serving or executing any such writ, rule, order, process, warrant, or other legal or judicial writ or process—
Shall, except as otherwise provided by law, be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §245 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, §140, 35 Stat. 1114).
The phrase “Except as otherwise expressly provided by law” was inserted because sections 2231, 2232, and 2233 of this title provide greater penalties for obstructing service of search warrants.
Mandatory provisions were rephrased in the alternative.
Minor changes were made in phraseology.
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $300” in last par.
Change of Name
United States commissioners, referred to in text, were replaced by United States magistrates pursuant to Pub. L. 90–578, title IV, §402(b)(2), Oct. 17, 1968, 82 Stat. 1118. See chapter 43 (§631 et seq.) of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.
Reference to United States magistrate or to magistrate deemed to refer to United States magistrate judge pursuant to section 321 of Pub. L. 101–650, set out as a note under section 631 of Title 28.
Short Title of 1982 Amendment
Pub. L. 97–291, §1, Oct. 12, 1982, 96 Stat. 1248, provided: “That this Act [enacting sections 1512 to 1515, 3579, and 3580 of this title, amending sections 1503, 1505, 1510, and 3146 of this title and Rule 32 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and enacting provisions set out as notes under sections 1512 and 3579 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Victim and Witness Protection Act of 1982’.”
Cross References
Assaulting Federal officer, see section 111 of this title.
Killing Federal officer, see section 1114 of this title.
Obstructing searches or seizures, see sections 2231 and 2232 of this title.