                 TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
 
                       PART II--CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
 
                   CHAPTER 211--JURISDICTION AND VENUE
 
Sec. 3241. Jurisdiction of offenses under certain sections

    The United States District Court for the Canal Zone and the District 
Court of the Virgin Islands shall have jurisdiction of offenses under 
the laws of the United States, not locally inapplicable, committed 
within the territorial jurisdiction of such courts, and jurisdiction, 
concurrently with the district courts of the United States, of offenses 
against the laws of the United States committed upon the high seas.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 827; Pub. L. 85-508, Sec. 12(i), July 
7, 1958, 72 Stat. 348.)


                      Historical and Revision Notes

    Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Secs. 39, 574; sections 23, 
101, 1406 of title 48, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Territories and Insular 
Possessions; section 39 of title 50, U.S.C., 1940 ed., War and National 
Defense (June 6, 1900, ch. 786, Sec. 4, 31 Stat. 322; Aug. 24, 1912, ch. 
387, Sec. 3, 37 Stat. 512; June 15, 1917, ch. 30, title XIII, Sec. 2, 40 
Stat. 231; Mar. 2, 1921, ch. 110, 41 Stat. 1203; June 22, 1936, ch. 699, 
Sec. 28, 49 Stat. 1814).
    Section consolidates portions of sections 39 and 574 of title 18, 
U.S.C., 1940 ed., with jurisdictional provisions of sections 23, 101, 
and 1406 of title 48, U.S.C., 1940 ed., and section 39 of title 50 
U.S.C., 1940 ed., with changes of phraseology necessary to effect 
consolidation.
    The revised section simplifies and clarifies the Federal 
jurisdiction of the district courts of the Territories and Possessions. 
The enumeration of sections in section 574 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 
ed., was omitted as incomplete and misleading and the general language 
of the revised section was made applicable to the Canal Zone.
    The phrase ``the several courts of the first instance in the 
Philippine Islands'' in section 574 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., was 
omitted as obsolete in view of the independence of the Commonwealth of 
the Philippines effective July 4, 1946.
    The last sentence of section 574 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., with 
reference to the powers of district attorneys was omitted as unnecessary 
and otherwise covered by sections 403 and 404 of title 22, U.S.C., 1940 
ed., Foreign Relations and Intercourse.
    Definition of United States in section 39 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 
ed., is incorporated in section 5 of this title.


                               Amendments

    1958--Pub. L. 85-508 struck out provisions which related to the 
District Court for the Territory of Alaska. See section 81A of Title 28, 
Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, which establishes a United States 
District Court for the State of Alaska.


                    Effective Date of 1958 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 85-508 effective Jan. 3, 1959, on admission of 
Alaska into the Union pursuant to Proc. No. 3269, Jan. 3, 1959, 24 F.R. 
81, 73 Stat. c16, as required by sections 1 and 8(c) of Pub. L. 85-508, 
see notes set out under section 81A of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial 
Procedure, and preceding former section 21 of Title 48, Territories and 
Insular Possessions.

  Termination of United States District Court for the District of the 
                               Canal Zone

    For termination of the United States District Court for the District 
of the Canal Zone at end of the ``transition period'', being the 30 
month period beginning Oct. 1, 1979, and ending midnight Mar. 31, 1982, 
see Paragraph 5 of Article XI of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and 
sections 2101 and 2201 to 2203 of Pub. L. 96-70, title II, Sept. 27, 
1979, 93 Stat. 493, formerly classified to sections 3831 and 3841 to 
3843, respectively, of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.
