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Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-102

§894 Art. 94. Mutiny or Sedition

Title 10 › Subtitle A — General Military Law › PART II — PERSONNEL › CHAPTER 47 — UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE › SUBCHAPTER X — PUNITIVE ARTICLES › § 894

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

People under military law who join others to refuse lawful orders or cause violence to take over military command commit mutiny. People who join others to start revolt or violence to destroy or overthrow lawful civilian government commit sedition. Anyone who sees mutiny or sedition and does not try hard to stop it or tell their commanding officer is guilty too. If convicted of attempting, committing, or failing to stop or report these acts, a person can be punished by death or by whatever punishment a court-martial orders.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §894

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Any person subject to this chapter who—
(1)with intent to usurp or override lawful military authority, refuses, in concert with any other person, to obey orders or otherwise do his duty or creates any violence or disturbance is guilty of mutiny;
(2)with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of lawful civil authority, creates, in concert with any other person, revolt, violence, or other disturbance against that authority is guilty of sedition;
(3)fails to do his utmost to prevent and suppress a mutiny or sedition being committed in his presence, or fails to take all reasonable means to inform his superior commissioned officer or commanding officer of a mutiny or sedition which he knows or has reason to believe is taking place, is guilty of a failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition.
(b)A person who is found guilty of attempted mutiny, mutiny, sedition, or failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 894(a)894(b)50:688(a).50:688(b).May 5, 1950, ch. 169, § 1 (Art. 94), 64 Stat. 136. In subsection (a)(1) and (2), the words “or persons” are omitted, since, under section 1 of title 1, words importing the singular may apply to several persons. In subsection (a)(3), the word “a” is substituted for the words “an offense of”. The words “commissioned officer” are inserted after the word “superior”, for clarity.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 894

Title 10, Armed Forces

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102