§ 1651. — Writs.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 28USC1651]
TITLE 28--JUDICIARY AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE
PART V--PROCEDURE
CHAPTER 111--GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 1651. Writs
(a) The Supreme Court and all courts established by Act of Congress
may issue all writs necessary or appropriate in aid of their respective
jurisdictions and agreeable to the usages and principles of law.
(b) An alternative writ or rule nisi may be issued by a justice or
judge of a court which has jurisdiction.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 944; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, Sec. 90,
63 Stat. 102.)
Historical and Revision Notes
1948 Act
Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Secs. 342, 376, 377 (Mar. 3,
1911, ch. 231, Secs. 234, 261, 262, 36 Stat. 1156, 1162).
Section consolidates sections 342, 376, and 377 of title 28, U.S.C.,
1940 ed., with necessary changes in phraseology.
Such section 342 provided:
``The Supreme Court shall have power to issue writs of prohibition
to the district courts, when proceeding as courts of admiralty and
maritime jurisdiction; and writs of mandamus, in cases warranted by the
principles and usages of law, to any courts appointed under the
authority of the United States, or to persons holding office under the
authority of the United States, where a State, or an ambassador, or
other public minister, or a consul, or vice consul is a party.''
Such section 376 provided:
``Writs of ne exeat may be granted by any justice of the Supreme
Court, in cases where they might be granted by the Supreme Court; and by
any district judge, in cases where they might be granted by the district
court of which he is a judge. But no writ of ne exeat shall be granted
unless a suit in equity is commenced, and satisfactory proof is made to
the court or judge granting the same that the defendant designs quickly
to depart from the United States.''
Such section 377 provided:
``The Supreme Court and the district courts shall have power to
issue writs of scire facias. The Supreme Court, the circuit courts of
appeals, and the district courts shall have power to issue all writs not
specifically provided for by statute, which may be necessary for the
exercise of their respective jurisdictions, and agreeable to the usages
and principles of law.''
The special provisions of section 342 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed.,
with reference to writs of prohibition and mandamus, admiralty courts
and other courts and officers of the United States were omitted as
unnecessary in view of the revised section.
The revised section extends the power to issue writs in aid of
jurisdiction, to all courts established by Act of Congress, thus making
explicit the right to exercise powers implied from the creation of such
courts.
The provisions of section 376 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., with
respect to the powers of a justice or judge in issuing writs of ne exeat
were changed and made the basis of subsection (b) of the revised section
but the conditions and limitations on the writ of ne exeat were omitted
as merely confirmatory of well-settled principles of law.
The provision in section 377 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed.,
authorizing issuance of writs of scire facias, was omitted in view of
rule 81(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure abolishing such writ.
The revised section is expressive of the construction recently placed
upon such section by the Supreme Court in U.S. Alkali Export Assn. v.
U.S., 65 S.Ct. 1120, 325 U.S. 196, 89 L.Ed. 1554, and De Beers Consol.
Mines v. U.S., 65 S.Ct. 1130, 325 U.S. 212, 89 L.Ed. 1566.
1949 Act
This section corrects a grammatical error in subsection (a) of
section 1651 of title 28, U.S.C.
Amendments
1949--Subsec. (a). Act May 24, 1949, inserted ``and'' after
``jurisdictions''.
Writ of Error
Act Jan. 31, 1928, ch. 14, Sec. 2, 45 Stat. 54, as amended Apr. 26,
1928, ch. 440, 45 Stat. 466; June 25, 1948, ch. 646, Sec. 23, 62 Stat.
990, provided that: ``All Acts of Congress referring to writs of error
shall be construed as amended to the extent necessary to substitute
appeal for writ of error.''
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in sections 1407, 3202 of this title.
