All matter otherwise mailable by law, upon the envelope or outside cover or wrapper of which, and all postal cards upon which, any delineations, epithets, terms, or language of an indecent, lewd, lascivious, or obscene character are written or printed or otherwise impressed or apparent, are nonmailable matter, and shall not be conveyed in the mails nor delivered from any post office nor by any letter carrier, and shall be withdrawn from the mails under such regulations as the Postal Service shall prescribe.
Whoever knowingly deposits for mailing or delivery, anything declared by this section to be nonmailable matter, or knowingly takes the same from the mails for the purpose of circulating or disposing of or aiding in the circulation or disposition of the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed. §335 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, §212, 35 Stat. 1129).
Said section 335 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., was incorporated in this section and section 1718 of this title.
Reference to persons causing or procuring was omitted as unnecessary in view of definition of "principal" in section 2 of this title.
Minor changes were made in phraseology.
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted "fined under this title" for "fined not more than $5,000" in last par.
1970—Pub. L. 91–375 substituted "Postal Service" for "Postmaster General".
Effective Date of 1970 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 91–375 effective within 1 year after Aug. 12, 1970, on date established therefor by Board of Governors of United States Postal Service and published by it in Federal Register, see section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91–375, set out as an Effective Date note preceding section 101 of Title 39, Postal Service.
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