US Code
CHAPTER 3— CODE OF LAWS OF UNITED STATES AND SUPPLEMENTS; DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CODE AND SUPPLEMENTS
§ 204. Codes and Supplements as evidence of the laws of United States and District of Columbia; citation of Codes and Supplements

(a)
United States Code.—
The matter set forth in the edition of the Code of Laws of the United States current at
any time shall, together with the then current supplement, if any, establish prima facie the
laws of the United States, general and permanent in their nature, in force on the day
preceding the commencement of the session following the last session the legislation of
which is included: Provided, however, That whenever titles of such Code shall have
been enacted into positive law the text thereof shall be legal evidence of the laws therein
contained, in all the courts of the United States, the several States, and the Territories
and insular possessions of the United States.
(b)
District of Columbia Code.—
The matter set forth in the edition of the Code of the District of Columbia current at
any time shall, together with the then current supplement, if any, establish prima facie the
laws, general and permanent in their nature, relating to or in force in the District of
Columbia on the day preceding the commencement of the session following the last session the
legislation of which is included, except such laws as are of application in the District of
Columbia by reason of being laws of the United States general and permanent in their nature.
(c)
District of Columbia Code; citation.—
The Code of the District of Columbia may be cited as “D.C. Code”.
(d)
Supplements to Codes; citation.—
Supplements to the Code of Laws of the United States and to the Code of the District of
Columbia may be cited, respectively, as “U.S.C., Sup. ”, and “D.C. Code, Sup. ”, the blank
in each case being filled with Roman figures denoting the number of the supplement.
(e)
New edition of Codes; citation.—
New editions of each of such codes may be cited, respectively, as “U.S.C., ed.”, and
“D.C. Code, ed.”, the blank in each case being filled with figures denoting the last
year the legislation of which is included in whole or in part.