Title 48Territories and Insular PossessionsRelease 119-73not60

§1417 Criminal Jurisdiction

Title 48 › Chapter 8— GUANO ISLANDS › § 1417

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Crimes committed on the islands, rocks, or keys listed earlier, or in nearby waters, count as if done on the high seas aboard a United States merchant ship and are punished under those laws.

Full Legal Text

Title 48, §1417

Territories and Insular Possessions — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

All acts done, and offenses or crimes committed, on any island, rock, or key mentioned in section 1411 of this title, by persons who may land thereon, or in the waters adjacent thereto, shall be deemed committed on the high seas, on board a merchant ship or vessel belonging to the United States; and shall be punished according to the laws of the United States relating to such ships or vessels and offenses on the high seas, which laws for the purpose aforesaid are extended over such islands, rocks, and keys.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification R.S. § 5576 derived from act Aug. 18, 1856, ch. 164, § 6, 11 Stat. 120.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

48 U.S.C. § 1417

Title 48Territories and Insular Possessions

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60