33 U.S.C. § 391
Section 391 · Summary trials authorized
Amended 1 time on record
Applied in 2 court decisions — leading case Rosenfeld v. Oceania Cruises, Inc. (2012)
Most recently applied in Rosenfeld v. Oceania Cruises, Inc. (June 2012)
Whenever a complaint shall be made against any master, officer, or seaman of any vessel belonging, in whole or in part, to any citizen of the United States, of the commission of any offense, not capital or otherwise infamous, against any law of the United States made for the protection of persons or property engaged in commerce or navigation, it shall be the duty of the United States attorney to investigate the same, and the general nature thereof, and if, in his opinion, the case is such as should be summarily tried, he shall report the same to the district judge, and the judge shall forthwith, or as soon as the ordinary business of the court will permit, proceed to try the cause, and for that purpose may, if necessary, hold a special session of the court, either in term time or vacation.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Codification
R.S. §4300 derived from act June 11, 1864, ch. 121, §2, 13 Stat. 124.
Change of Name
Act June 25, 1948, eff. Sept. 1, 1948, substituted “United States attorney” for “district attorney”. See section 541 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, and Historical and Revision Notes set out thereunder.
Cross References
Criminal jurisdiction of district courts, generally, see section 3231 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure.