Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-102
§2250 Indigent Petitioner Entitled to Documents Without Cost
Title 28 › PART VI — PARTICULAR PROCEEDINGS › CHAPTER 153 — HABEAS CORPUS › § 2250
Summary
When a person files a habeas corpus petition and is allowed to proceed without paying fees, the federal court clerk must give certified copies of any records the judge orders, free of charge.
Full Legal Text
Title 28, §2250
Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
If on any application for a writ of habeas corpus an order has been made permitting the petitioner to prosecute the application in forma pauperis, the clerk of any court of the United States shall furnish to the petitioner without cost certified copies of such documents or parts of the record on file in his office as may be required by order of the judge before whom the application is pending.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Derived from H.R. 4232, Seventy-ninth Congress, first session. It conforms to the prevailing practice.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
28 U.S.C. § 2250
Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102