28 USC § 1654 - Appearance personally or by counsel

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t28/s1654"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "28 USC § 1654 - Appearance personally or by counsel"
title_number: 28
title_name: "JUDICIARY AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE"
section_number: "1654"
section_name: "Appearance personally or by counsel"
chapter_number: 111
chapter_name: "GENERAL PROVISIONS"
part_number: "V"
part_name: "PROCEDURE"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 944; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, § 91, 63 Stat. 103.)"
---


# § 1654. Appearance personally or by counsel

In all courts of the United States the parties may plead and conduct their own cases personally or by counsel as, by the rules of such courts, respectively, are permitted to manage and conduct causes therein.

---

**Source Credit**: (June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 944; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, § 91, 63 Stat. 103.)

### Historical Revision Notes

### 1948 Act

Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 394 (, ).

Words “as, by the rules of the said courts respectively, are permitted to manage and conduct causes therein,” after “counsel,” were omitted as surplusage. The revised section and  effect no change in the procedure of the Tax Court before which certain accountants may be admitted as counsel for litigants under Rule 2 of the Tax Court.

Changes were made in phraseology.

### 1949 Act

This section restores in , U.S.C., language of the original law.

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1949—Act , inserted “as, by the rules of such courts, respectively, are permitted to manage and conduct causes therein”.