10 U.S.C. § 850 (ARMED FORCES)
§ 850. Art. 50. Admissibility of records of courts of inquiry
(a) In any case not capital and not extending to the dismissal of a commissioned officer, the sworn testimony, contained in the duly authenticated record of proceedings of a court of inquiry, of a person whose oral testimony cannot be obtained, may, if otherwise admissible under the rules of evidence, be read in evidence by any party before a court-martial or military commission if the accused was a party before the court of inquiry and if the same issue was involved or if the accused consents to the introduction of such evidence. This section does not apply to a military commission established under chapter 47A of this title.
(b) Such testimony may be read in evidence only by the defense in capital cases or cases extending to the dismissal of a commissioned officer.
(c) Such testimony may also be read in evidence before a court of inquiry or a military board.
(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 54; Pub. L. 109–366, § 4(a)(2), Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2631; Pub. L. 114–328, div. E, title LVII, § 5232, Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2915.)
heading: Amendment of Section
text: Pub. L. 114–328, div. E, title LVII, § 5232, title LXIII, § 5542, Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2915, 2967, and Ex. Ord. No. 13825, Mar. 1, 2018, 83 F.R. 9889, made amendments to this section effective, except as otherwise provided, on Jan. 1, 2019, as designated by the President, with implementing regulations and provisions relating to applicability to various situations. After such effective date, this section will read as follows:
§ 850. Art. 50. Admissibility of sworn testimony from records of courts of inquiry
(a) Use as Evidence by Any Party.—In any case not capital and not extending to the dismissal of a commissioned officer, the sworn testimony, contained in the duly authenticated record of proceedings of a court of inquiry, of a person whose oral testimony cannot be obtained, may, if otherwise admissible under the rules of evidence, be read in evidence by any party before a court-martial or military commission if the accused was a party before the court of inquiry and if the same issue was involved or if the accused consents to the introduction of such evidence. This section does not apply to a military commission established under chapter 47A of this title.
(b) Use as Evidence by Defense.—Such testimony may be read in evidence only by the defense in capital cases or cases extending to the dismissal of a commissioned officer.
(c) Use in Courts of Inquiry and Military Boards.—Such testimony may also be read in evidence before a court of inquiry or a military board.
(d) Audiotape or Videotape.—Sworn testimony that—
(1) is recorded by audiotape, videotape, or similar method; and
(2) is contained in the duly authenticated record of proceedings of a court of inquiry;
is admissible before a court-martial, military commission, court of inquiry, or military board, to the same extent as sworn testimony may be read in evidence before any such body under subsection (a), (b), or (c).
See 2016 Amendment notes below.
text: Historical and Revision Notes
Revised section
Source (U.S. Code)
Source (Statutes at Large)
850(a)
850(b)
50:625(a).
50:625(b).
May 5, 1950, ch. 169, § 1 (Art. 50), 64 Stat. 124.
850(c)
50:625(c).
In subsections (a) and (b), the word “commissioned” is inserted for clarity.
heading: Amendments
text: 2016—Pub. L. 114–328, § 5232(b), amended section catchline generally, substituting “Admissibility of sworn testimony from records of courts of inquiry” for “Admissibility of records of courts of inquiry”.
Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–328, § 5232(c)(1), inserted heading.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 114–328, § 5232(c)(2), inserted heading.
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 114–328, § 5232(c)(3), inserted heading.
Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 114–328, § 5232(a), added subsec. (d).
2006—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 109–366 inserted last sentence.
heading: Effective Date of 2016 Amendment
text: Amendment by Pub. L. 114–328 effective on Jan. 1, 2019, as designated by the President, with implementing regulations and provisions relating to applicability to various situations, see section 5542 of Pub. L. 114–328 and Ex. Ord. No. 13825, set out as notes under section 801 of this title.