# § 413. Publications; distribution to courts
Distribution of publications to Federal courts in accordance with the provisions of this chapter shall not be made to any place where such court is held in a building not owned or controlled by the United States unless such publications are committed to the custody of an officer of the United States at such building.
The Attorney General and the Director in the procurement of law books, books of reference or periodicals may exchange or sell similar items and apply the allowance or proceeds to payment in whole or in part of the cost of the items procured.
---
**Source Credit**: (June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 906; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, § 69, 63 Stat. 100; July 10, 1952, ch. 632, § 6, 66 Stat. 541.)
### Historical and Revision Notes
### 1948 Act
Based on , U.S.C., 1940 ed., Internal Revenue Code, title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§ 337, 530 (, ; , ; , ; , ; , ; , ; , title IV, ; , title IV, ; , title II, § 201, ; , ; , title IV, ; , title IV, .)
Section consolidates provisions of , U.S.C., 1940 ed., relating to expenditures for “lawbooks” for the Tax Court of the United States, with sections 337 and 530 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., relating to purchase and distribution of reporter and digest volumes.
Other provisions of , U.S.C., 1940 ed., are incorporated in .
Provisions of , U.S.C., 1940 ed., limiting the price to be paid for volumes of the Federal Reporter and other similar reports were omitted after consultation with the Administrative Office of United States Courts as more properly covered by current appropriation acts. Similar provisions relating to the Federal Digest and the United States Code Annotated were omitted as covered in current appropriation acts. (See , , 387.)
Provisions of said , U.S.C., 1940 ed., that books are to remain United States property, so marked, and transmitted to successors in office of persons receiving them, were omitted as covered by .
Similar provisions in said , U.S.C., 1940 ed., are incorporated in .
Provision in , U.S.C., 1940 ed., for distribution to the Court of Appeals and District Court for the District of Columbia was omitted as covered by the phrase “Each place where a circuit court of appeals or district court is regularly held.”
The revised section is extended to include the Customs Court as well as the Court of Claims and Court of Customs and Patent Appeals. All judges receive the Supreme Court reports and digests under . Presumably the Congress did not intend to deny distribution of the Federal Reporter and digests to the Customs Court while providing for all other courts under said section 337.
The revised section provides for distribution of volumes to the judiciary by the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. (See reviser’s note under .)
Similar publications are purchased by the Marshal of Supreme Court for the use of the Court. (See .)
The provisions of , U.S.C., 1940 ed., requiring annual estimates and disbursement of moneys for the volumes under this section were omitted. Such provisions are covered by appropriate sections of title 31, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Money and Finance.
Provision of , U.S.C., 1940 ed., as to custody, use, and delivery to successors was omitted as obsolete on advice of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts.
Numerous changes were made in phraseology and superfluous language was omitted.
### Senate Revision Amendment
As finally enacted, part of , , which was classified to Title 28, U.S.C., 1946 ed., § 530, became one of the sources of this section and was accordingly included in the schedule of repeals by Senate amendment. See 80th Congress Senate Report No. 1559.
Although , U.S.C. (Internal Revenue Code) is one of the sources of this section, it was struck out of the schedule of repeals by Senate amendment and accordingly remains in Title 26. See 80th Congress Senate Report No. 1559.
### 1949 Act
Subsection (a) of this section eliminates from , U.S.C., the provision for furnishing books to the Tax Court, which procures books under section 1131 of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C., 1946 ed., § 1131).
Subsection (b) of this section incorporates in , U.S.C., with changes in phraseology, the provisions of act of (ch. 400, title II, § 204, ), which was not incorporated in title 18 when the revision was enacted. As amended, section 413 is expanded to give like authority with respect to procurement of books to the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, as well as to the Attorney General, to prevent an obvious inconsistency.
## Editorial Notes
### Amendments
1952—Act , amended section generally, and permitted delivery of publication to buildings controlled by the Government as well as to buildings owned by it.
1949—Act , struck out reference to the Tax Court in former provisions enumerating judges and courts to receive certain publications, and inserted provisions set out as second par.