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Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Part I · Chapter 109 — Searches and Seizures

§ 2235. Search warrant procured maliciously

Statutory text

Whoever maliciously and without probable cause procures a search warrant to be issued and executed, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

  1. Pub. L. 80–645 · 62 Stat. 683

    Enacted · 18 U.S.C. § 2235

    June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 803

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 803

  2. Economic Espionage Act of 1996

    Pub. L. 104–294 title VI § 601(a)(8) · 110 Stat. 3488

    Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 2235

    Pub. L. 104–294 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 104–294 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (8) Sections 1821, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1905, 1916, 1918, 1991, 2115, 2116, 2191, 2192, 2194, 2199, 2234, 2235, and 2236 of title 18, United States Code, are each amended by striking “fined not more than $1,000” each place it appears and inserting “fined under this title”.

  3. 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act

    Pub. L. 107–273 div. B title III § 3002(a)(3) · 116 Stat. 1758

    Inserted · 18 U.S.C. § 2235

    Pub. L. 107–273 inserted “, or both” after “year”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 107–273 inserted “, or both” after “year”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (3) in sections 1916, 2234, and 2235, by inserting “, or both” after “year”.

2 of 3 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 1 partial

Notes

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 630 (June 15, 1917, ch. 30, title XI, § 20, 40 Stat. 230).

Minor changes were made in phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments1996–2002 · 2 rounds

2002

Pub. L. 107–273 inserted “, or both” after “year”.

1996

Pub. L. 104–294 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000”.

Credits

1948–2002 · 3 acts
  1. 1948June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 803
  2. 1996Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 601(a)(8), , 110 Stat. 3498
  3. 2002Pub. L. 107–273, div. B, title III, § 3002(a)(3), , 116 Stat. 1805.
Show as published

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 803; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 601(a)(8), , 110 Stat. 3498; Pub. L. 107–273, div. B, title III, § 3002(a)(3), , 116 Stat. 1805.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc18.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2026-05-04

USLM identifier /us/usc/t18/s2235