§ 953. Administration of oaths and acknowledgments

Each clerk of court and his deputies may administer oaths and affirmations and take acknowledgments.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 926.)

Historical And Revision

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§ 264, 523 and 525, section 1114(a) of title 26, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Internal Revenue Code, and District of Columbia Code, 1940 ed., § 11–402 (R.S. § 799; May 28, 1896, ch. 252, § 19, 29 Stat. 184; Mar. 2, 1901, ch. 814, 31 Stat. 956; Mar. 3, 1901, ch. 854, § 178, 31 Stat. 1219; June 30, 1902, ch. 1329, 32 Stat. 527; Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, §§ 158, 291, 36 Stat. 1139, 1167; Feb. 10, 1939, ch. 2, § 1114(a), 53 Stat. 160; Oct. 21, 1942, ch. 619, title V, § 504(a)(c), 56 Stat. 957; Feb. 25, 1944, ch. 63, title V, § 503, 58 Stat. 72).

This section consolidates a part of section 525, sections 264 and 523 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., part of section 1114(a) of title 26, U.S.C., 1940 ed., section 11–402 of the District of Columbia Code, 1940 ed.,

As respects acknowledgments, sections 264, 523 and 525 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., and section 11–402 of District of Columbia Code, 1940 ed., referred only to the Court of Claims and the District Court for the District of Columbia. However, section 555 of said title 28, before amendment in 1944, provided for the collection of a fee by district court clerks for taking acknowledgments. The 1944 amendment provided for the fixing of fees by the Judicial Conference of the United States. If notaries and other minor officials may take acknowledgments there seems to be no reason why clerks of Federal courts and their deputies should not have such power.

Words “Except as provided in section 591 of this title,” in section 525 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., were omitted. Under such section 591, the provisions of such section 525 were inapplicable to the Territory of Alaska, but a later act of June 6, 1900, ch. 786, § 7, 31 Stat. 324, section 106 of title 48, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Territories and Insular Possessions, provided that clerks of the District Court for Alaska should perform the duties required or authorized to be performed by clerks of United States courts in other districts.

Provisions of section 525 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., relating to United States commissioners are incorporated in section 637 of this title.

Provisions of section 264 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., and section 1114(a) of title 26, U.S.C., 1940 ed., relating to administration of oaths and acknowledgments by judges, are incorporated in section 459 of this title. For distribution of other provisions of such section 1114(a) of title 26, see Distribution Table.

Changes in phraseology were made.

Miscellaneous

Senate Revision Amendment

Those provisions of this section which related to the Tax Court were eliminated by Senate amendment, therefore section 1114(a) of Title 26, U.S.C., Internal Revenue Code, was not a part of the source of this section upon final enactment. The Senate amendments also eliminated section 1114(a) of the Internal Revenue Code from the schedule of repeals. See 80th Congress Senate Report No. 1559.