§ 847. Art. 47. Refusal to appear or testify

(a) Any person not subject to this chapter who—

(1) has been duly subpoenaed to appear as a witness before a court-martial, military commission, court of inquiry, or any other military court or board, or before any military or civil officer designated to take a deposition to be read in evidence before such a court, commission, or board, or has been duly issued a subpoena duces tecum for an investigation pursuant to section 832(b) of this title (article 32(b));

(2) has been provided a means for reimbursement from the Government for fees and mileage at the rates allowed to witnesses attending the courts of the United States or, in the case of extraordinary hardship, is advanced such fees and mileage; and

(3) willfully neglects or refuses to appear, or refuses to qualify as a witness or to testify or to produce any evidence which that person may have been legally subpoenaed to produce;

is guilty of an offense against the United States.

(b) Any person who commits an offense named in subsection (a) shall be tried on indictment or information in a United States district court or in a court of original criminal jurisdiction in any of the Commonwealths or possessions of the United States, and jurisdiction is conferred upon those courts for that purpose. Upon conviction, such a person shall be fined or imprisoned, or both, at the court’s discretion.

(c) The United States attorney or the officer prosecuting for the United States in any such court of original criminal jurisdiction shall, upon the certification of the facts to him by the military court, commission, court of inquiry, board, or convening authority, file an information against and prosecute any person violating this article.

(d) The fees and mileage of witnesses shall be advanced or paid out of the appropriations for the compensation of witnesses.

(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041. 70A Stat. 53; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title XI, § 1111, Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 461; Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title X, § 1057(a)(5), Jan. 6, 2006, 119 Stat. 3440; Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title V, § 542(a), (b), Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1411; Pub. L. 113–66, div. A, title XVII, § 1702(c)(3)(D), Dec. 26, 2013, 127 Stat. 958.)

Prospective Amendment

Amendment of Subsection (a)(1)

Pub. L. 113–66, div. A, title XVII, § 1702(c)(3)(D), (d)(1), Dec. 26, 2013, 127 Stat. 958, provided that, effective one year after Dec. 26, 2013, and applicable with respect to offenses committed under this chapter on or after that effective date, subsection (a)(1) of this section is amended by striking “an investigation pursuant to section 832(b) of this title (article 32(b))” and inserting “a preliminary hearing pursuant to section 832 of this title (article 32)”. See 2013 Amendment note below.

Historical And Revision

Historical and Revision Notes
Revised section	Source (U.S. Code)	Source (Statutes at Large)
847(a) 847(b)	50:622(a). 50:622(b).	May 5, 1950, ch. 169, § 1 (Art. 47), 64 Stat. 123.
847(c)	50:622(c).
847(d)	50:622(d).

In subsection (a), the word “Any” is substituted for the word “Every”. The word “is” is substituted for the words “shall be deemed”.

In subsection (b), the words “named in subsection (a)” are substituted for the words “denounced by this article”. The words “Territories, Commonwealths, or” are substituted for the word “Territorial”. The words “not more than” are substituted for the words “a period not exceeding”.

In subsection (c), the words “It shall be the duty of * * * to” are omitted as surplusage. The words “United States Attorney” are substituted for the words “United States district attorney”, to conform to the terminology of section 501 of title 28. The word “shall” is inserted after the word “jurisdiction”.

Amendments

Amendments

2013—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 113–66 substituted “a preliminary hearing pursuant to section 832 of this title (article 32)” for “an investigation pursuant to section 832(b) of this title (article 32(b))”.

2011—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 112–81, § 542(b), substituted “subpoenaed” for “subpenaed” in two places.

Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 112–81, § 542(a)(1)(A), substituted “board, or has been duly issued a subpoena duces tecum for an investigation pursuant to section 832(b) of this title (article 32(b));” for “board;”.

Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 112–81, § 542(a)(1)(B), substituted “provided a means for reimbursement from the Government for fees and mileage” for “duly paid or tendered the fees and mileage of a witness” and inserted “or, in the case of extraordinary hardship, is advanced such fees and mileage” before semicolon.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 112–81, § 542(a)(2), substituted “board, or convening authority” for “or board”.

2006—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109–163 substituted “Commonwealths or possessions” for “Territories, Commonwealths, or possessions”.

1996—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104–106 inserted “indictment or” after “shall be tried on” and substituted “shall be fined or imprisoned, or both, at the court’s discretion” for “shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both”.

Effective Date Of Amendment

Effective Date of 2013 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 113–66 effective one year after Dec. 26, 2013, and applicable with respect to offenses committed under this chapter on or after that effective date, see section 1702(d)(1) of Pub. L. 113–66, set out as a note under section 802 of this title.

Effective Date of 2011 Amendment

Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title V, § 542(c), Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1411, provided that: “The amendments made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply with respect to subpoenas issued after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 31, 2011].”