Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-110
§909a Art. 109a. Mail Matter: Wrongful Taking, Opening, Etc.
Title 10 › Subtitle A — General Military Law › PART II — PERSONNEL › CHAPTER 47 — UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE › SUBCHAPTER X — PUNITIVE ARTICLES › § 909a
Summary
Anyone under military law who takes someone else's mail before it gets to the person it's addressed to, with the aim of stopping their messages or snooping into their business or secrets, can be tried and punished by a court-martial. Anyone under military law who wrongfully opens, hides, destroys, or steals mail before it reaches the person it's addressed to can also be tried and punished by a court-martial.
Full Legal Text
Title 10, §909a
Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Taking.—
Any person subject to this chapter who, with the intent to obstruct the correspondence of, or to pry into the business or secrets of, any person or organization, wrongfully takes mail matter before the mail matter is delivered to or received by the addressee shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
(b)Opening, Secreting, Destroying, Stealing.—
Any person subject to this chapter who wrongfully opens, secretes, destroys, or steals mail matter before the mail matter is delivered to or received by the addressee shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
Section effective on Jan. 1, 2019, as designated by the President, with implementing
Regulations
and provisions relating to applicability to various situations, see section 5542 of Pub. L. 114–328 and Ex. Ord. No. 13825, set out as notes under section 801 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
10 U.S.C. § 909a
Title 10, Armed Forces
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110