26 U.S.C. § 7456 — Administration of oaths and procurement of testimony
submitted 72 years ago by ch. 736 to r/title-26-INTERNAL-REVENUE-CODE · 673 words · no verdicts yet
Specified Tax Court officials may administer oaths, subpoena witnesses and records, and take depositions. The Court may order certain foreign petitioners to produce records and may punish contempt or noncompliance.
(a) In general. For efficient Tax Court* work, a Tax Court judge, special trial judge, clerk or deputy, or employee* designated in writing by the chief judge may administer oaths. A judge or special trial judge may examine witnesses and require, through a subpoena ordered by the Court or a division and signed by the judge, special trial judge, clerk, or acting deputy clerk, witnesses to attend and testify and produce necessary returns, books, papers, documents, correspondence, and other evidence from anywhere in the United States at a designated hearing place, or may require a deposition before a person authorized to administer oaths under this title. Deposition testimony must be written down by or under the direction of the person taking it and signed by the deponent. (b) On the Secretary’s motion and notice, and for good cause, the Court or a division must order a foreign corporation*, foreign trust* or estate, or nonresident alien individual who petitioned the Court to produce relevant records in the petitioner’s possession, custody, or control, wherever located, or, if the petitioner proves inability to produce them, to make them available to the Secretary* for inspection, copying, or photographing. This reaches records held by persons directly or indirectly controlled by, controlling, or under common control with the petitioner. Failure or refusal after reasonable time lets the Court, on motion, strike pleadings, dismiss all or part of the case, or enter default judgment. “Foreign trust or estate” includes one whose fiduciary* is a foreign corporation or nonresident alien individual. “Control” is not limited to legal control. (c) Incidental powers. The Court and each division may fine or imprison for contempt only for—(1) misconduct in its presence or nearby that obstructs justice; (2) misconduct by an officer in official dealings; or (3) disobedience or resistance to a lawful writ, process, order, rule, decree, or command. It may receive the assistance available to a United States court. At the chief judge’s request, the United States marshal for the district where the Court sits must attend a session and may provide security, including protection for judges, officers, witnesses, and other threatened people, when criminal intimidation impedes judicial or other official proceedings. The United States Marshals Service retains final authority over the Court’s security requirements.
For the efficient administration of the functions vested in the Tax Court* or any division thereof, any judge or special trial judge of the Tax Court, the clerk of the court or his deputies, as such, or any other employee* of the Tax Court designated in writing for the purpose by the chief judge, may administer oaths, and any judge or special trial judge of the Tax Court may examine witnesses and require, by subpoena ordered by the Tax Court or any division thereof and signed by the judge or special trial judge (or by the clerk of the Tax Court or by any other employee of the Tax Court when acting as deputy clerk)—
the attendance and testimony of witnesses, and the production of all necessary returns, books, papers, documents, correspondence, and other evidence, from any place in the United States at any designated place of hearing, or
the taking of a deposition before any designated individual competent to administer oaths under this title. In the case of a deposition the testimony shall be reduced to writing by the individual taking the deposition or under his direction and shall then be subscribed by the deponent.
The Tax Court or any division thereof, upon motion and notice by the Secretary*, and upon good cause shown therefor, shall order any foreign corporation*, foreign trust* or estate, or nonresident alien individual, who has filed a petition with the Tax Court, to produce, or, upon satisfactory proof to the Tax Court or any of its divisions, that the petitioner is unable to produce, to make available to the Secretary, and, in either case, to permit the inspection, copying, or photographing of, such books, records, documents, memoranda, correspondence and other papers, wherever situated, as the Tax Court or any division thereof, may deem relevant to the proceedings and which are in the possession, custody or control of the petitioner, or of any person directly or indirectly under his control or having control over him or subject to the same common control. If the petitioner fails or refuses to comply with any of the provisions of such order, after reasonable time for compliance has been afforded to him, the Tax Court or any division thereof, upon motion, shall make an order striking out pleadings or parts thereof, or dismissing the proceeding or any part thereof, or rendering a judgment by default against the petitioner. For the purpose of this subsection, the term “foreign trust or estate” includes an estate or trust, any fiduciary* of which is a foreign corporation or nonresident alien individual; and the term “control” is not limited to legal control.
The Tax Court and each division thereof shall have power to punish by fine or imprisonment, at its discretion, such contempt of its authority, and none other, as—
misbehavior of any person in its presence or so near thereto as to obstruct the administration of justice;
misbehavior of any of its officers in their official transactions; or
disobedience or resistance to its lawful writ, process, order, rule, decree, or command.
It shall have such assistance in the carrying out of its lawful writ, process, order, rule, decree, or command as is available to a court of the United States. The United States marshal for any district in which the Tax Court is sitting shall, when requested by the chief judge of the Tax Court, attend any session of the Tax Court in such district and may otherwise provide, when requested by the chief judge of the Tax Court, for the security of the Tax Court, including the personal protection of Tax Court judges, court officers, witnesses, and other threatened persons in the interests of justice, where criminal intimidation impedes on the functioning of the judicial process or any other official proceeding. The United States Marshals Service retains final authority regarding security requirements for the Tax Court.
Source credit: (Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 885; Pub. L. 91–172, title IX, §§ 956, 958, Dec. 30, 1969, 83 Stat. 732, 734; Pub. L. 94–455, title XIX, § 1906(b)(13)(A), Oct. 4, 1976, 90 Stat. 1834; Pub. L. 95–600, title III, § 336(b)(1), title V, § 502(c), Nov. 6, 1978, 92 Stat. 2841, 2879; Pub. L. 96–222, title I, § 105(a)(1)(B), Apr. 1, 1980, 94 Stat. 218; Pub. L. 97–164, title I, § 153(a), Apr. 2, 1982, 96 Stat. 47; Pub. L. 97–248, title IV, § 402(c)(13), Sept. 3, 1982, 96 Stat. 668; Pub. L. 97–362, title I, § 106(c), Oct. 25, 1982, 96 Stat. 1730; Pub. L. 98–369, div. A, title IV, §§ 463(a), 464(a)–(c), July 18, 1984, 98 Stat. 824; Pub. L. 99–514, title XV, §§ 1555(a), 1556(b)(1), Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2754, 2755; Pub. L. 110–177, title I, § 102(b), Jan. 7, 2008, 121 Stat. 2535.)
- 1954Enacted · Act of Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736
- 1969Amended · Pub. L. 91-172 · 83 Stat. 732, 734
- 1976Amended · Pub. L. 94-455 · 90 Stat. 1834
- 1978Amended · Pub. L. 95-600 · 92 Stat. 2841, 2879
- 1980Amended · Pub. L. 96-222 · 94 Stat. 218
- 1982Amended · Pub. L. 97-164 · 96 Stat. 47
- 1982Amended · Pub. L. 97-248 · 96 Stat. 668
- 1982Amended · Pub. L. 97-362 · 96 Stat. 1730
- 1984Amended · Pub. L. 98-369 · 98 Stat. 824
- 1986Amended · Pub. L. 99-514 · 100 Stat. 2754, 2755
- 2008Amended · Pub. L. 110-177 · 121 Stat. 2535
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by ch. 736 on 1954-08-16.
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