39 U.S.C. § 1011
Section 1011 · Oath of office
Amended 1 time on record
Applied in 3 court decisions — leading case United States Postal Service v. American Postal Workers Union (1984)
Most recently applied in United States v. Lamb (August 1993)
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.
Before entering upon their duties and before receiving any salary, all officers and employees of the Postal Service shall take and subscribe the following oath or affirmation:
“I, ________________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.”
A person authorized to administer oaths by the laws of the United States, including section 2903 of title 5, or of a State or territory, or an officer, civil or military, holding a commission under the United States, or any officer or employee of the Postal Service designated by the Board may administer and certify the oath or affirmation.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Effective Date
Section effective July 1, 1971, pursuant to Resolution No. 71–9 of the Board of Governors. See section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91–375, set out as a note preceding section 101 of this title.