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Title 5 — Government Organization and EmployeesRelease 119-73

§5537 Fees for jury and witness service

Title 5 › Part PART III— - EMPLOYEES › Subpart Subpart D— - Pay and Allowances › Chapter CHAPTER 55— - PAY ADMINISTRATION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER IV— - DUAL PAY AND DUAL EMPLOYMENT › § 5537

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Federal employees (as defined in section 2105), except people whose pay is handled by the Secretary of the Senate, the Chief Administrative Officer of the House, or the Chief of the Capitol Police, and employees of the District of Columbia may not take fees for serving as jurors in United States or D.C. courts or for testifying for the United States or D.C. Court officials may not collect witness fees when they attend a hearing where they are the one officiating. "Court of the United States" means what section 451 of title 28 says and also covers the District Court of Guam and the District Court of the Virgin Islands.

Full Legal Text

Title 5, §5537

Government Organization and Employees — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)An employee as defined by section 2105 of this title (except an individual whose pay is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate, the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives, or the Chief of the Capitol Police) or an individual employed by the government of the District of Columbia may not receive fees for service—
(1)as a juror in a court of the United States or the District of Columbia; or
(2)as a witness on behalf of the United States or the District of Columbia.
(b)An official of a court of the United States or the District of Columbia may not receive witness fees for attendance before a court, commissioner, or magistrate judge where he is officiating.
(c)For the purpose of this section, “court of the United States” has the meaning given it by section 451 of title 28 and includes the District Court of Guam and the District Court of the Virgin Islands.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

DerivationU.S. CodeRevised Statutes andStatutes at Large 5 U.S.C. 30o.June 29, 1940, ch. 446, § 2, 54 Stat. 689. The words “fees for jury service” are coextensive with and substituted for “compensation for such service”. Standard changes are made to conform with the definitions applicable and the style of this title as outlined in the preface to the report.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2010—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 111–145 substituted “, the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives, or the Chief of the Capitol Police” for “or the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives” in introductory provisions. 1996—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104–186 substituted “Chief Administrative Officer” for “Clerk” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–201 substituted “the District Court of Guam and the District Court of the Virgin Islands” for “the United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone, the District Court of Guam, and the District Court of the Virgin Islands”. 1970—Pub. L. 91–563 substituted “jury and witness service” for “jury service in courts of the United States” in section catchline, designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted provisions prohibiting payment of fees for jury service in a court of the District of Columbia or for service as a witness on behalf of the United States or the District of Columbia and excepting employees whose pay is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House of Representatives, and added subsecs. (b) and (c). 1968—Pub. L. 90–623 inserted “, who is entitled to leave under section 6322 of this title,” after “individual employed by the government of the District of Columbia”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Words “magistrate judge” substituted for “magistrate” in subsec. (b) pursuant to section 321 of Pub. L. 101–650, set out as a note under section 631 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

Effective Date

of 2010 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 111–145 effective as though enacted as part of section 1018 of Pub. L. 108–7, see section 7(d) of Pub. L. 111–145, set out as a note under section 2107 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1968 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 90–623 intended to restate without substantive change the law in effect on Oct. 22, 1968, see section 6 of Pub. L. 90–623, set out as a note under section 5334 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

5 U.S.C. § 5537

Title 5 — Government Organization and Employees

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73