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Title 27 — Intoxicating Liquors

Chapter 8 — Federal Alcohol Administration Act

§ 207. Penalties; jurisdiction; compromise of liability

Statutory text

The District Courts of the United States, and the United States court for any Territory, of the District where the offense is committed or threatened or of which the offender is an inhabitant or has his principal place of business, are vested with jurisdiction of any suit brought by the Attorney General in the name of the United States, to prevent and restrain violations of any of the provisions of this subchapter. Any person violating any of the provisions of section 203 or 205 of this title shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof be fined not more than $1,000 for each offense. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized, with respect to any violation of this subchapter, to compromise the liability arising with respect to such violation (1) upon payment of a sum not in excess of $500 for each offense, to be collected by the Secretary and to be paid into the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts, and (2) in case of repetitious violations and in order to avoid multiplicity of criminal proceedings, upon agreement to a stipulation, that the United States may, on its own motion upon five days’ notice to the violator, cause a consent decree to be entered by any court of competent jurisdiction enjoining the repetition of such violation.

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. Federal Alcohol Administration Act

    Pub. L. 74–814 · 49 Stat. 1597

    Enacted · 27 U.S.C. § 207

    Aug. 29, 1935, ch. 814, title I, § 107, formerly § 7, 49 Stat. 985

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    Aug. 29, 1935, ch. 814, title I, § 107, formerly § 7, 49 Stat. 985

  2. Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988

    Pub. L. 100–690 § 8001(b)(2) · 102 Stat. 4181

    Substituted · 27 U.S.C. § 207

    Pub. L. 100–690, § 8001(b)(2), substituted “subchapter” for “chapter” in two places

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 100–690, § 8001(b)(2), substituted “subchapter” for “chapter” in two places.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (2) in sections 103, 104, 105, 107, 108, and 117, as so redesignated, 27 USC 203–205, 207–211. by striking “this Act” each place it appears and inserting in lieu thereof “this title”;

  3. Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988

    Pub. L. 100–690 § 8001(b)(4) · 102 Stat. 4181

    Changed · 27 U.S.C. § 207

    Pub. L. 100–690, § 8001(b)(4), made technical amendment to references to sections 203 and 205 of this title to reflect renumbering of corresponding sections of original act

    Target inherited from the preceding amendment note.

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 100–690, § 8001(b)(4), made technical amendment to references to sections 203 and 205 of this title to reflect renumbering of corresponding sections of original act.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (4) in section 107, as so redesignated, by striking “section 3 or 5” and inserting in lieu thereof “section 103 or 105”.

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

Editorial Notes

Codification

As originally enacted this section contained a reference to the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. Act , substituted “the district court of the United States for the District of Columbia” for “the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia”, and act , as amended by act , substituted “United States District Court for the District of Columbia” for “district court of the United States for the District of Columbia”. However, the words “United States District Court for the District of Columbia” have been deleted entirely as superfluous in view of section 132(a) of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, which states that “There shall be in each judicial district a district court which shall be a court of record known as the United States District Court for the district”, and section 88 of Title 28 which states that “the District of Columbia constitutes one judicial district”.

Amendments

1988—Pub. L. 100–690, § 8001(b)(2), substituted “subchapter” for “chapter” in two places.

Pub. L. 100–690, § 8001(b)(4), made technical amendment to references to sections 203 and 205 of this title to reflect renumbering of corresponding sections of original act.

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

“The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized” and “Secretary” were substituted for “Subject to the approval of the Attorney General, the Administrator is authorized” and “Administrator”, meaning the Administrator of the Federal Alcohol Administration, respectively, pursuant to Reorg. Plan No. IV of 1940, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, which transferred the function of approving compromises made in accordance with this section from the Attorney General to the Secretary of the Treasury, to be exercised by him or under his direction and supervision by officer in the Department of the Treasury designated by him, and Reorg. Plan No. III of 1940, set out in the Appendix to Title V, which transferred the functions of the Administrator of the Federal Alcohol Administration to the Secretary of the Treasury. Reorg. Plan No. IV of 1940, in addition, contained the following proviso: “Provided, That exclusive jurisdiction to compromise cases arising under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act which are pending before the courts or which have been or may hereafter be referred to the Department of Justice for action shall be vested in the Attorney General, and may be exercised by him or by any officer in the Department of Justice designated by him.” See also note set out under section 201 of this title.

Credits

1935–1988 · 7 acts
  1. 1935Aug. 29, 1935, ch. 814, title I, § 107, formerly § 7, 49 Stat. 985
  2. 1936June 25, 1936, ch. 804, 49 Stat. 1921
  3. 19401940 Reorg. Plan No. III, § 2, eff. , 5 F.R. 2108, 54 Stat. 1232
  4. 19401940 Reorg. Plan No. IV, § 2, eff. , 5 F.R. 2421, 54 Stat. 1234
  5. 1948June 25, 1948, ch. 646, § 32(b), 62 Stat. 991
  6. 1949May 24, 1949, ch. 139, § 127, 63 Stat. 107
  7. 1988renumbered title I, § 107, and amended Pub. L. 100–690, title VIII, § 8001(a)(1), (2), (b)(2), (4), , 102 Stat. 4517, 4521.
Show as published

(Aug. 29, 1935, ch. 814, title I, § 107, formerly § 7, 49 Stat. 985; June 25, 1936, ch. 804, 49 Stat. 1921; 1940 Reorg. Plan No. III, § 2, eff. , 5 F.R. 2108, 54 Stat. 1232; 1940 Reorg. Plan No. IV, § 2, eff. , 5 F.R. 2421, 54 Stat. 1234; June 25, 1948, ch. 646, § 32(b), 62 Stat. 991; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, § 127, 63 Stat. 107; renumbered title I, § 107, and amended Pub. L. 100–690, title VIII, § 8001(a)(1), (2), (b)(2), (4), , 102 Stat. 4517, 4521.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc27.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2025-12-12

USLM identifier /us/usc/t27/s207