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Title 39 — Postal Service

Part I · Chapter 2 — Organization

§ 204. General Counsel; Judicial Officer; Chief Postal Inspector

Statutory text

There shall be within the Postal Service a General Counsel, such number of Assistant Postmasters General as the Board shall consider appropriate, a Judicial Officer, and a Chief Postal Inspector. The General Counsel, the Assistant Postmasters General, the Judicial Officer, and the Chief Postal Inspector shall be appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Postmaster General. The Judicial Officer shall perform such quasi-judicial duties, not inconsistent with chapter 36 of this title, as the Postmaster General may designate. The Judicial Officer shall be the agency for the purposes of the requirements of chapter 5 of title 5, to the extent that functions are delegated to him by the Postmaster General. The Chief Postal Inspector shall report to, and be under the general supervision of, the Postmaster General. The Postmaster General shall promptly notify the Governors and both Houses of Congress in writing if he or she removes the Chief Postal Inspector or transfers the Chief Postal Inspector to another position or location within the Postal Service, and shall include in any such notification the reasons for the removal or transfer.

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. Postal Reorganization Act

    Pub. L. 91–375 · 84 Stat. 719

    Enacted · 39 U.S.C. § 204

    Pub. L. 91–375, Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 721

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    Pub. L. 91–375, Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 721

  2. Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act of 1996

    Pub. L. 104–208 § 101(f)(tVI)(s662)(f)(2)(A)(i) · 110 Stat. 3009

    Substituted · 39 U.S.C. § 204

    Pub. L. 104–208, § 101(f) [title VI, § 662(f)(2)(A)(i)], in section catchline substituted “General Counsel; Judicial Officer; Chief Postal Inspector” for “Assistant Postmasters General; General Counsel; Judicial Officer”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 104–208, § 101(f) [title VI, § 662(f)(2)(A)(i)], in section catchline substituted “General Counsel; Judicial Officer; Chief Postal Inspector” for “Assistant Postmasters General; General Counsel; Judicial Officer”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    Sec. 101. (a) For programs, projects or activities in the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997, provided as follows, to be effective as if it had been enacted into law as the regular appropriations Act:

  3. Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act of 1996

    Pub. L. 104–208 § 101(f)(tVI)(s662)(f)(2)(A)(ii) · 110 Stat. 3009

    1. Substituted · 39 U.S.C. § 204

      Pub. L. 104–208, § 101(f) [title VI, § 662(f)(2)(A)(ii)–(iv)], substituted “a Judicial Officer, and a Chief Postal Inspector.” for “and a Judicial Officer.”

    2. Substituted · 39 U.S.C. § 204

      Pub. L. 104–208, § 101(f) [title VI, § 662(f)(2)(A)(ii)–(iv)], substituted “the Judicial Officer, and the Chief Postal Inspector” for “and the Judicial Officer”

    3. Inserted · 39 U.S.C. § 204

      Pub. L. 104–208, § 101(f) [title VI, § 662(f)(2)(A)(ii)–(iv)], inserted at end “The Chief Postal Inspector shall report to, and be under the general supervision of, the Postmaster General. The Postmaster General shall promptly notify the Governors and both Houses of Congress in writing if he or she removes the Chief Postal Inspector or transfers the Chief Postal Inspector to another position or location within the Postal Service, and shall include in any such notification the reasons for the removal or transfer.”

    Target inherited from the preceding amendment note.

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 104–208, § 101(f) [title VI, § 662(f)(2)(A)(ii)–(iv)], substituted “a Judicial Officer, and a Chief Postal Inspector.” for “and a Judicial Officer.” and “the Judicial Officer, and the Chief Postal Inspector” for “and the Judicial Officer”, and inserted at end “The Chief Postal Inspector shall report to, and be under the general supervision of, the Postmaster General. The Postmaster General shall promptly notify the Governors and both Houses of Congress in writing if he or she removes the Chief Postal Inspector or transfers the Chief Postal Inspector to another position or location within the Postal Service, and shall include in any such notification the reasons for the removal or transfer.”

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    Sec. 101. (a) For programs, projects or activities in the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997, provided as follows, to be effective as if it had been enacted into law as the regular appropriations Act:

4 of 5 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 1 partial

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1996—Pub. L. 104–208, § 101(f) [title VI, § 662(f)(2)(A)(i)], in section catchline substituted “General Counsel; Judicial Officer; Chief Postal Inspector” for “Assistant Postmasters General; General Counsel; Judicial Officer”.

Pub. L. 104–208, § 101(f) [title VI, § 662(f)(2)(A)(ii)–(iv)], substituted “a Judicial Officer, and a Chief Postal Inspector.” for “and a Judicial Officer.” and “the Judicial Officer, and the Chief Postal Inspector” for “and the Judicial Officer”, and inserted at end “The Chief Postal Inspector shall report to, and be under the general supervision of, the Postmaster General. The Postmaster General shall promptly notify the Governors and both Houses of Congress in writing if he or she removes the Chief Postal Inspector or transfers the Chief Postal Inspector to another position or location within the Postal Service, and shall include in any such notification the reasons for the removal or transfer.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective , pursuant to Resolution No. 71–7 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.

Credits

1970–1996 · 2 acts
  1. 1970Pub. L. 91–375, , 84 Stat. 721
  2. 1996Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, § 101(f) [title VI, § 662(f)(2)(A)], , 110 Stat. 3009–314, 3009–382.
Show as published

(Pub. L. 91–375, , 84 Stat. 721; Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, § 101(f) [title VI, § 662(f)(2)(A)], , 110 Stat. 3009–314, 3009–382.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc39.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2026-03-26

USLM identifier /us/usc/t39/s204