18 U.S.C. § 2116
Section 2116 · Railway or steamboat post office
Amended 2 times on record
Applied in 6 court decisions — leading case United States v. Kincade (2004)
Most recently applied in United States v. Jeremy Pruitt (June 2021)
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, by violence, enters a post-office car, or any part of any car, steamboat, or vessel, assigned to the use of the mail service, or willfully or maliciously assaults or interferes with any postal clerk in the discharge of his duties in connection with such car, steamboat, vessel, or apartment thereof, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, 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., §316 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, §193, 35 Stat. 1125).
Reference to persons aiding or assisting was deleted as unnecessary because such persons are made principals by section 2 of this title.
Minor changes were made in phraseology.
Amendments
1996—Pub. L. 104–294 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000”.