Detention of mail for temporary periods

39 U.S.C. § 3007

• Title: 39 — Postal Service
• Chapter: 30 — NONMAILABLE MATTER

Text

(a)(1) In preparation for or during the pendency of proceedings under section 3005, the Postal Service may, under the provisions of section 409(d), apply to the district court in any district in which mail is sent or received as part of the alleged scheme, device, lottery, gift enterprise, sweepstakes, skill contest, or facsimile check or in any district in which the defendant is found, for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction under the procedural requirements of rule 65 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
(2)(A) Upon a proper showing, the court shall enter an order which shall—
(i) remain in effect during the pendency of the statutory proceedings, any judicial review of such proceedings, or any action to enforce orders issued under the proceedings; and
(ii) direct the detention by the postmaster, in any and all districts, of the defendant's incoming mail and outgoing mail, which is the subject of the proceedings under section 3005.
(B) A proper showing under this paragraph shall require proof of a likelihood of success on the merits of the proceedings under section 3005.
(3) Mail detained under paragraph (2) shall—
(A) be made available at the post office of mailing or delivery for examination by the defendant in the presence of a postal employee; and
(B) be delivered as addressed if such mail is not clearly shown to be the subject of proceedings under section 3005.
(4) No finding of the defendant's intent to make a false representation or to conduct a lottery is required to support the issuance of an order under this section.
(b) If any order is issued under subsection (a) and the proceedings under section 3005 are concluded with the issuance of an order under that section, any judicial review of the matter shall be in the district in which the order under subsection (a) was issued.
(c) This section does not apply to mail addressed to publishers of newspapers and other periodical publications entitled to a periodical publication rate or to mail addressed to the agents of those publishers.

History

(Pub. L. 91–375, Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 747; Pub. L. 106–168, title I, §105(a), Dec. 12, 1999, 113 Stat. 1810.)

Editorial Notes

Editorial Notes

References in Text
Rule 65 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, referred to in subsec. (a)(1), is set out in the Appendix to Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

Amendments
1999—Pub. L. 106–168 added subsecs. (a) and (b), struck out former subsec. (a) which provided for injunctive relief and other orders by the district court in which the defendant gets his mail, and redesignated former subsec. (b) as (c).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1999 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 106–168 effective 120 days after Dec. 12, 1999, see section 111 of Pub. L. 106–168, set out as a note under section 3001 of this title.

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.