18 U.S.C. § 1113 — Attempt to commit murder or manslaughter

This section applies only within the "special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States," a term this section does not define. It punishes someone who attempts murder or manslaughter there. This section yields to section 113 of this title; if section 113 covers the conduct, this section does not apply instead. Attempted murder within that jurisdiction is punished by up to twenty years in prison, a fine under this title, or both. Attempted manslaughter within that jurisdiction is punished by up to seven years in prison, a fine under this title, or both. The exact fine amount is not stated here; it is set by other parts of this title. The section does not define "murder," "manslaughter," or "attempt." It only sets the punishment for attempting these crimes within that jurisdiction. Both attempted murder and attempted manslaughter can result in prison time, a fine, or both punishments together.

The record. According to the source credit, this section was enacted on June 25, 1948, as part of chapter 645, 62 Stat. 756 — the general recodification of federal criminal law that year. The credit further shows three subsequent amendments: Public Law 100–690 (Nov. 18, 1988), Public Law 101–647 (Nov. 29, 1990), and Public Law 104–132 (Apr. 24, 1996), each identified by title and section number within those acts. Historical context. The 1948 enactment occurred as part of a comprehensive revision and codification of Title 18, in which Congress reorganized existing federal criminal statutes into a unified code; this recodification effort is generally understood to have consolidated and clarified, rather than substantively rewritten, much of the preexisting criminal law applicable within federal maritime and territorial jurisdiction. The specific inclusion of attempted murder and manslaughter as separate offenses reflects a broader, long-standing pattern in federal criminal law of penalizing attempts distinctly from completed offenses. Beyond this general background, the record does not establish the particular legislative motivations behind the 1988, 1990, and 1996 amendments identified in the source credit — such as whether they were adjustments to sentencing structure, technical corrections, or part of larger crime-related legislative packages. Without further documentation, no specific intent behind those amendments can be confirmed here.