§3016 Administrative Subpoenas

Summary

The Postmaster General can demand records or other physical evidence by subpoena when investigating under the Postal Service’s enforcement authority. A subpoena can only be requested after a specific case is opened naming a person or business, and the request must get supervisory and legal review. Only the Postal Service’s General Counsel or a Deputy General Counsel may approve subpoenas. In formal Postal Service hearings, the Judicial Officer can also require witnesses and records, but that power does not replace the Postmaster General’s authority in investigations. Subpoenas may be served anywhere in the United States by an authorized server. If the person is abroad, service follows the federal civil rules for foreign service, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia can handle enforcement. Businesses can be served by giving a copy to an officer, agent, the main office, or by certified mail; people can be served in person or by certified mail. A sworn statement by the server and any return receipt prove service. If someone ignores a subpoena, the Postmaster General can ask the Attorney General to ask a federal district court where the person lives or does business to enforce it. The court can order compliance, punish disobedience as contempt, and any final order may be appealed. Records given under these subpoenas are protected from public disclosure under federal rules.