§204 — Title 39 Postal Service | U.S. Code

Summary

The Postal Service must have a General Counsel, as many Assistant Postmasters General as the Board decides, a Judicial Officer, and a Chief Postal Inspector. The Postmaster General appoints these people and can remove them at any time. The Judicial Officer handles certain court-like duties the Postmaster General gives them, as long as those duties do not conflict with chapter 36, and counts as the agency for chapter 5 rules when so assigned. The Chief Postal Inspector reports to and is supervised by the Postmaster General. If the Postmaster General removes or moves the Chief Postal Inspector to another job or location inside the Postal Service, the Postmaster General must promptly tell the Governors and both Houses of Congress in writing and explain the reasons.

Title 39, §204

Postal Service — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

There shall be within the Postal Service a General Counsel, such number of Assistant Postmasters General as the Board shall consider appropriate, a Judicial Officer, and a Chief Postal Inspector. The General Counsel, the Assistant Postmasters General, the Judicial Officer, and the Chief Postal Inspector shall be appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Postmaster General. The Judicial Officer shall perform such quasi-judicial duties, not inconsistent with chapter 36 of this title, as the Postmaster General may designate. The Judicial Officer shall be the agency for the purposes of the requirements of chapter 5 of title 5, to the extent that functions are delegated to him by the Postmaster General. The Chief Postal Inspector shall report to, and be under the general supervision of, the Postmaster General. The Postmaster General shall promptly notify the Governors and both Houses of Congress in writing if he or she removes the Chief Postal Inspector or transfers the Chief Postal Inspector to another position or location within the Postal Service, and shall include in any such notification the reasons for the removal or transfer.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1996—Pub. L. 104–208, § 101(f) [title VI, § 662(f)(2)(A)(i)], in section catchline substituted “General Counsel; Judicial Officer; Chief Postal Inspector” for “Assistant Postmasters General; General Counsel; Judicial Officer”. Pub. L. 104–208, § 101(f) [title VI, § 662(f)(2)(A)(ii)–(iv)], substituted “a Judicial Officer, and a Chief Postal Inspector.” for “and a Judicial Officer.” and “the Judicial Officer, and the Chief Postal Inspector” for “and the Judicial Officer”, and inserted at end “The Chief Postal Inspector shall report to, and be under the general supervision of, the Postmaster General. The Postmaster General shall promptly notify the Governors and both Houses of Congress in writing if he or she removes the Chief Postal Inspector or transfers the Chief Postal Inspector to another position or location within the Postal Service, and shall include in any such notification the reasons for the removal or transfer.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective Jan. 20, 1971, pursuant to Resolution No. 71–7 of the Board of Governors. See section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91–375, set out as a note preceding section 101 of this title.

§204 General Counsel; Judicial Officer; Chief Postal Inspector