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Title 14, Coast GuardRelease 119-102

§2159 Boards of Inquiry

Title 14 › SUBTITLE II — PERSONNEL › CHAPTER 21 — PERSONNEL; OFFICERS › SUBCHAPTER II — DISCHARGES; RETIREMENTS; REVOCATION OF COMMISSIONS; SEPARATION FOR CAUSE › § 2159

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must set up boards of inquiry where needed to hear evidence and decide whether an officer who is required to show cause under section 2158 should stay on active duty. Each officer who must show cause gets a fair, impartial hearing before a board. If the board finds the officer did not prove they should be kept, it will recommend to the Secretary that the officer not remain on active duty. If the board finds the officer did prove they should stay, the case is closed. An officer can be asked to show cause again after one year from the decision in cases under clause (1) of section 2158, or at any time after the decision in cases under clause (2) of that section.

Full Legal Text

Title 14, §2159

Coast Guard, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Boards of inquiry shall be convened at such places as the Secretary may prescribe to receive evidence and make findings and recommendations whether an officer who is required to show cause for retention under section 2158 of this title should be retained on active duty.
(b)A fair and impartial hearing before a board of inquiry shall be given to each officer so required to show cause for retention.
(c)If a board of inquiry determines that the officer has failed to establish that he should be retained, it shall recommend to the Secretary that the officer not be retained on active duty.
(d)If a board of inquiry determines that the officer has established that he should be retained, his case is closed. However, at any time after one year from the date of the determination in a case arising under clause (1) of section 2158 of this title, and at any time after the date of the determination in a case arising under clause (2) of that section, an officer may again be required to show cause for retention.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2025—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 119–60 substituted “recommend to the Secretary that the officer not be retained on active duty” for “send the record of its proceedings to a board of review”. 2018—Pub. L. 115–282, § 112(b), renumbered section 322 of this title as this section. Subsecs. (a), (d). Pub. L. 115–282, § 123(b)(2), substituted “section 2158” for “section 321”. 1982—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 97–295 inserted “of this title” after “section 321”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

14 U.S.C. § 2159

Title 14, Coast Guard

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102