15 USC § 242 - Duty of United States attorney to enforce law

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t15/s242"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "15 USC § 242 - Duty of United States attorney to enforce law"
title_number: 15
title_name: "COMMERCE AND TRADE"
section_number: "242"
section_name: "Duty of United States attorney to enforce law"
chapter_number: 6
chapter_name: "WEIGHTS AND MEASURES AND STANDARD TIME"
subchapter_number: "VI"
subchapter_name: "STANDARD BARRELS"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Aug. 23, 1916, ch. 396, § 6, 39 Stat. 531; June 25, 1948, ch. 646, § 1, 62 Stat. 909.)"
---


# § 242. Duty of United States attorney to enforce law

It shall be the duty of each United States attorney, to whom satisfactory evidence of any violation of sections 237 to 242 of this title is presented, to cause appropriate proceedings to be commenced and prosecuted in the United States court having jurisdiction of such offense.

---

**Source Credit**: (Aug. 23, 1916, ch. 396, § 6, 39 Stat. 531; June 25, 1948, ch. 646, § 1, 62 Stat. 909.)

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Change of Name

Act , eff. , substituted “United States attorney” for “district attorney”. See , Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.