Laws: Cases and Codes : U.S. Code : Title 15 : Section 21


   


U.S. Code as of: 01/19/04
Section 21. Enforcement provisions

    (a) Commission, Board, or Secretary authorized to enforce
      compliance
      Authority to enforce compliance with sections 13, 14, 18, and 19
    of this title by the persons respectively subject thereto is vested
    in the Surface Transportation Board where applicable to common
    carriers subject to jurisdiction under subtitle IV of title 49; in
    the Federal Communications Commission where applicable to common
    carriers engaged in wire or radio communication or radio
    transmission of energy; in the Secretary of Transportation where
    applicable to air carriers and foreign air carriers subject to part
    A of subtitle VII of title 49; in the Board of Governors of the
    Federal Reserve System where applicable to banks, banking
    associations, and trust companies; and in the Federal Trade
    Commission where applicable to all other character of commerce to
    be exercised as follows:
    (b) Issuance of complaints for violations; hearing; intervention;
      filing of testimony; report; cease and desist orders; reopening
      and alteration of reports or orders
      Whenever the Commission, Board, or Secretary vested with
    jurisdiction thereof shall have reason to believe that any person
    is violating or has violated any of the provisions of sections 13,
    14, 18, and 19 of this title, it shall issue and serve upon such
    person and the Attorney General a complaint stating its charges in
    that respect, and containing a notice of a hearing upon a day and
    at a place therein fixed at least thirty days after the service of
    said complaint. The person so complained of shall have the right to
    appear at the place and time so fixed and show cause why an order
    should not be entered by the Commission, Board, or Secretary
    requiring such person to cease and desist from the violation of the
    law so charged in said complaint. The Attorney General shall have
    the right to intervene and appear in said proceeding and any person
    may make application, and upon good cause shown may be allowed by
    the Commission, Board, or Secretary, to intervene and appear in
    said proceeding by counsel or in person. The testimony in any such
    proceeding shall be reduced to writing and filed in the office of
    the Commission, Board, or Secretary. If upon such hearing the
    Commission, Board, or Secretary, as the case may be, shall be of
    the opinion that any of the provisions of said sections have been
    or are being violated, it shall make a report in writing, in which
    it shall state its findings as to the facts, and shall issue and
    cause to be served on such person an order requiring such person to
    cease and desist from such violations, and divest itself of the
    stock, or other share capital, or assets, held or rid itself of the
    directors chosen contrary to the provisions of sections 18 and 19
    of this title, if any there be, in the manner and within the time
    fixed by said order. Until the expiration of the time allowed for
    filing a petition for review, if no such petition has been duly
    filed within such time, or, if a petition for review has been filed
    within such time then until the record in the proceeding has been
    filed in a court of appeals of the United States, as hereinafter
    provided, the Commission, Board, or Secretary may at any time, upon
    such notice and in such manner as it shall deem proper, modify or
    set aside, in whole or in part, any report or any order made or
    issued by it under this section. After the expiration of the time
    allowed for filing a petition for review, if no such petition has
    been duly filed within such time, the Commission, Board, or
    Secretary may at any time, after notice and opportunity for
    hearing, reopen and alter, modify, or set aside, in whole or in
    part, any report or order made or issued by it under this section,
    whenever in the opinion of the Commission, Board, or Secretary
    conditions of fact or of law have so changed as to require such
    action or if the public interest shall so require: Provided,
    however, That the said person may, within sixty days after service
    upon him or it of said report or order entered after such a
    reopening, obtain a review thereof in the appropriate court of
    appeals of the United States, in the manner provided in subsection
    (c) of this section.
    (c) Review of orders; jurisdiction; filing of petition and record
      of proceeding; conclusiveness of findings; additional evidence;
      modification of findings; finality of judgment and decree
      Any person required by such order of the commission, board, or
    Secretary to cease and desist from any such violation may obtain a
    review of such order in the court of appeals of the United States
    for any circuit within which such violation occurred or within
    which such person resides or carries on business, by filing in the
    court, within sixty days after the date of the service of such
    order, a written petition praying that the order of the commission,
    board, or Secretary be set aside. A copy of such petition shall be
    forthwith transmitted by the clerk of the court to the commission,
    board, or Secretary, and thereupon the commission, board, or
    Secretary shall file in the court the record in the proceeding, as
    provided in section 2112 of title 28. Upon such filing of the
    petition the court shall have jurisdiction of the proceeding and of
    the question determined therein concurrently with the commission,
    board, or Secretary until the filing of the record, and shall have
    power to make and enter a decree affirming, modifying, or setting
    aside the order of the commission, board, or Secretary, and
    enforcing the same to the extent that such order is affirmed, and
    to issue such writs as are ancillary to its jurisdiction or are
    necessary in its judgment to prevent injury to the public or to
    competitors pendente lite. The findings of the commission, board,
    or Secretary as to the facts, if supported by substantial evidence,
    shall be conclusive. To the extent that the order of the
    commission, board, or Secretary is affirmed, the court shall issue
    its own order commanding obedience to the terms of such order of
    the commission, board, or Secretary. If either party shall apply to
    the court for leave to adduce additional evidence, and shall show
    to the satisfaction of the court that such additional evidence is
    material and that there were reasonable grounds for the failure to
    adduce such evidence in the proceeding before the commission,
    board, or Secretary, the court may order such additional evidence
    to be taken before the commission, board, or Secretary, and to be
    adduced upon the hearing in such manner and upon such terms and
    conditions as to the court may seem proper. The commission, board,
    or Secretary may modify its findings as to the facts, or make new
    findings, by reason of the additional evidence so taken, and shall
    file such modified or new findings, which if supported by
    substantial evidence, shall be conclusive, and its recommendation,
    if any, for the modification or setting aside of its original
    order, with the return of such additional evidence. The judgment
    and decree of the court shall be final, except that the same shall
    be subject to review by the Supreme Court upon certiorari, as
    provided in section 1254 of title 28.
    (d) Exclusive jurisdiction of Court of Appeals
      Upon the filing of the record with its jurisdiction of the court
    of appeals to affirm, enforce, modify, or set aside orders of the
    commission, board, or Secretary shall be exclusive.
    (e) Liability under antitrust laws
      No order of the commission, board, or Secretary or judgment of
    the court to enforce the same shall in anywise relieve or absolve
    any person from any liability under the antitrust laws.
    (f) Service of complaints, orders and other processes
      Complaints, orders, and other processes of the commission, board,
    or Secretary under this section may be serviced by anyone duly
    authorized by the commission, board, or Secretary, either (1) by
    delivering a copy thereof to the person to be served, or to a
    member of the partnership to be served, or to the president,
    secretary, or other executive officer or a director of the
    corporation to be served; or (2) by leaving a copy thereof at the
    residence or the principal office or place of business of such
    person; or (3) by mailing by registered or certified mail a copy
    thereof addressed to such person at his or its residence or
    principal office or place of business. The verified return by the
    person so serving said complaint, order, or other process setting
    forth the manner of said service shall be proof of the same, and
    the return post office receipt for said complaint, order, or other
    process mailed by registered or certified mail as aforesaid shall
    be proof of the service of the same.
    (g) Finality of orders generally
      Any order issued under subsection (b) of this section shall
    become final - 
        (1) upon the expiration of the time allowed for filing a
      petition for review, if no such petition has been duly filed
      within such time; but the commission, board, or Secretary may
      thereafter modify or set aside its order to the extent provided
      in the last sentence of subsection (b) of this section; or
        (2) upon the expiration of the time allowed for filing a
      petition for certiorari, if the order of the commission, board,
      or Secretary has been affirmed, or the petition for review has
      been dismissed by the court of appeals, and no petition for
      certiorari has been duly filed; or
        (3) upon the denial of a petition for certiorari, if the order
      of the commission, board, or Secretary has been affirmed or the
      petition for review has been dismissed by the court of appeals;
      or
        (4) upon the expiration of thirty days from the date of
      issuance of the mandate of the Supreme Court, if such Court
      directs that the order of the commission, board, or Secretary be
      affirmed or the petition for review be dismissed.
    (h) Finality of orders modified by Supreme Court
      If the Supreme Court directs that the order of the commission,
    board, or Secretary be modified or set aside, the order of the
    commission, board, or Secretary rendered in accordance with the
    mandate of the Supreme Court shall become final upon the expiration
    of thirty days from the time it was rendered, unless within such
    thirty days either party has instituted proceedings to have such
    order corrected to accord with the mandate, in which event the
    order of the commission, board, or Secretary shall become final
    when so corrected.
    (i) Finality of orders modified by Court of Appeals
      If the order of the commission, board, or Secretary is modified
    or set aside by the court of appeals, and if (1) the time allowed
    for filing a petition for certiorari has expired and no such
    petition has been duly filed, or (2) the petition for certiorari
    has been denied, or (3) the decision of the court has been affirmed
    by the Supreme Court then the order of the commission, board, or
    Secretary rendered in accordance with the mandate of the court of
    appeals shall become final on the expiration of thirty days from
    the time such order of the commission, board, or Secretary was
    rendered, unless within such thirty days either party has
    instituted proceedings to have such order corrected so that it will
    accord with the mandate, in which event the order of the
    commission, board, or Secretary shall become final when so
    corrected.
    (j) Finality of orders issued on rehearing ordered by Court of
      Appeals or Supreme Court
      If the Supreme Court orders a rehearing; or if the case is
    remanded by the court of appeals to the commission, board, or
    Secretary for a rehearing, and if (1) the time allowed for filing a
    petition for certiorari has expired, and no such petition has been
    duly filed, or (2) the petition for certiorari has been denied, or
    (3) the decision of the court has been affirmed by the Supreme
    Court, then the order of the commission, board, or Secretary
    rendered upon such rehearing shall become final in the same manner
    as though no prior order of the commission, board, or Secretary had
    been rendered.
    (k) "Mandate" defined
      As used in this section the term "mandate", in case a mandate has
    been recalled prior to the expiration of thirty days from the date
    of issuance thereof, means the final mandate.
    (l) Penalties
      Any person who violates any order issued by the commission,
    board, or Secretary under subsection (b) of this section after such
    order has become final, and while such order is in effect, shall
    forfeit and pay to the United States a civil penalty of not more
    than $5,000 for each violation, which shall accrue to the United
    States and may be recovered in a civil action brought by the United
    States. Each separate violation of any such order shall be a
    separate offense, except that in the case of a violation through
    continuing failure or neglect to obey a final order of the
    commission, board, or Secretary each day of continuance of such
    failure or neglect shall be deemed a separate offense.



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