§ 24. — Jurisdiction over park; fugitives from justice.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 16USC24]
TITLE 16--CONSERVATION
CHAPTER 1--NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES
SUBCHAPTER V--YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
Sec. 24. Jurisdiction over park; fugitives from justice
The Yellowstone National Park, as its boundaries now are defined, or
as they may be hereafter defined or extended, shall be under the sole
and exclusive jurisdiction of the United States. All the laws applicable
to places under the sole and exclusive jurisdiction of the United
States, shall have force and effect in said park. Nothing in this Act
shall be construed to forbid the service in the park of any civil or
criminal process of any court having jurisdiction in the States of
Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. All fugitives from justice taking refuge in
said park shall be subject to the same laws as refugees from justice
found in the State of Wyoming.
(May 7, 1894, ch. 72, Sec. 1, 28 Stat. 73.)
References in Text
This Act, referred to in text, is act May 7, 1894, which is
classified to sections 24 to 30a of this title. For complete
classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.
Codification
Section 2 of act May 7, 1894, provided that the Yellowstone National
Park should be part of the judicial district of Wyoming, and that the
courts of the United States for the district should have jurisdiction of
all offenses committed within the park. It was superseded by act Mar. 3,
1911, ch. 231, Sec. 115, 36 Stat. 1130, constituting the State of
Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park the judicial district of Wyoming,
that section being in turn superseded by act June 5, 1924, ch. 260, 43
Stat. 388. Provisions of that act are covered by section 131 of Title
28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.
Wyoming: Jurisdiction Over Park
The act admitting the State of Wyoming into the Union, act July 10,
1890, ch. 664, 26 Stat. 222, contained a proviso annexed to the
description of the boundaries of the State, in section 2 of the act, as
follows: ``That nothing in this act contained shall repeal or affect any
act of Congress relating to the Yellowstone National Park, or the
reservation of the Park as now defined, or as may be hereafter defined
or extended, or the power of the United States over it; and nothing
contained in this act shall interfere with the right and ownership of
the United States in said park and reservation as it now is or may
hereafter be defined or extended by law; but exclusive legislation, in
all cases whatsoever, shall be exercised by the United States, which
shall have exclusive control and jurisdiction over the same; but nothing
in this proviso contained shall be construed to prevent the service
within said park of civil and criminal process lawfully issued by the
authority of said State.''
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in sections 21b, 30a of this title.
