Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-102
§3172 Definitions
Title 18 › PART II — CRIMINAL PROCEDURE › CHAPTER 208 — SPEEDY TRIAL › § 3172
Summary
Defines two terms. "Judge" or "judicial officer" means U.S. magistrate and federal district judges. "Offense" means federal crimes tried in federal courts, excluding Class B/C misdemeanors, infractions, and military-court cases.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §3172
Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
As used in this chapter—
(1)the terms “judge” or “judicial officer” mean, unless otherwise indicated, any United States magistrate judge, Federal district judge, and
(2)the term “offense” means any Federal criminal offense which is in violation of any Act of Congress and is triable by any court established by Act of Congress (other than a Class B or C misdemeanor or an infraction, or an offense triable by court-martial, military commission, provost court, or other military tribunal).
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1984—Par. (2). Pub. L. 98–473 substituted “Class B or C misdemeanor or an infraction” for “petty offense as defined in section 1(3) of this title”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Change of Name
“United States magistrate judge” substituted for “United States magistrate” in par. (1) 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 1984 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 98–473 effective Nov. 1, 1987, and applicable only to offenses committed after the taking effect of such amendment, see section 235(a)(1) of Pub. L. 98–473, set out as an
Effective Date
note under section 3551 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 3172
Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102