§ 2516. Authorization for interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications

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(1)The Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, Associate Attorney General,1 or any Assistant Attorney General, any acting Assistant Attorney General, or any Deputy Assistant Attorney General or acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division or National Security Division specially designated by the Attorney General, may authorize an application to a Federal judge of competent jurisdiction for, and such judge may grant in conformity with section 2518 of this chapter an order authorizing or approving the interception of wire or oral communications by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or a Federal agency having responsibility for the investigation of the offense as to which the application is made, when such interception may provide or has provided evidence of—

(2)The principal prosecuting attorney of any State, or the principal prosecuting attorney of any political subdivision thereof, if such attorney is authorized by a statute of that State to make application to a State court judge of competent jurisdiction for an order authorizing or approving the interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications, may apply to such judge for, and such judge may grant in conformity with section 2518 of this chapter and with the applicable State statute an order authorizing, or approving the interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications by investigative or law enforcement officers having responsibility for the investigation of the offense as to which the application is made, when such interception may provide or has provided evidence of the commission of the offense of murder, kidnapping, human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, child pornography production, prostitution, gambling, robbery, bribery, extortion, or dealing in narcotic drugs, marihuana or other dangerous drugs, or other crime dangerous to life, limb, or property, and punishable by imprisonment for more than one year, designated in any applicable State statute authorizing such interception, or any conspiracy to commit any of the foregoing offenses.

(3)Any attorney for the Government (as such term is defined for the purposes of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure) may authorize an application to a Federal judge of competent jurisdiction for, and such judge may grant, in conformity with section 2518 of this title, an order authorizing or approving the interception of electronic communications by an investigative or law enforcement officer having responsibility for the investigation of the offense as to which the application is made, when such interception may provide or has provided evidence of any Federal felony.

(Added Pub. L. 90–351, title III, § 802, June 19, 1968, 82 Stat. 216; amended Pub. L. 91–452, title VIII, § 810, title IX, § 902(a), title XI, § 1103, Oct. 15, 1970, 84 Stat. 940, 947, 959; Pub. L. 91–644, title IV, § 16, Jan. 2, 1971, 84 Stat. 1891; Pub. L. 95–598, title III, § 314(h), Nov. 6, 1978, 92 Stat. 2677; Pub. L. 97–285, §§ 2(e), 4(e), Oct. 6, 1982, 96 Stat. 1220, 1221; Pub. L. 98–292, § 8, May 21, 1984, 98 Stat. 206; Pub. L. 98–473, title II, § 1203(c), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2152;

Pub. L. 99–508, title I, §§ 101(c)(1)(A), 104, 105, Oct. 21, 1986, 100 Stat. 1851, 1855; Pub. L. 99–570, title I, § 1365(c), Oct. 27, 1986, 100 Stat. 3207–35; Pub. L. 100–690, title VI, § 6461, title VII, §§ 7036, 7053(d), 7525, Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4374, 4399, 4402, 4502; Pub. L. 101–298, § 3(b), May 22, 1990, 104 Stat. 203; Pub. L. 101–647, title XXV, § 2531, title XXXV, § 3568, Nov. 29, 1990, 104 Stat. 4879, 4928; Pub. L. 103–272, § 5(e)(11), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1374;

Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §§ 330011(c)(1), (q)(1), (r), 330021(1), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2144, 2145, 2150; Pub. L. 103–414, title II, § 208, Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4292; Pub. L. 103–429, § 7(a)(4)(A), Oct. 31, 1994, 108 Stat. 4389; Pub. L. 104–132, title IV, § 434, Apr. 24, 1996, 110 Stat. 1274; Pub. L. 104–208, div. C, title II, § 201, Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–564; Pub. L. 104–287, § 6(a)(2), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3398; Pub. L. 104–294, title I, § 102, title VI, § 601(d), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3491, 3499;

Pub. L. 105–318, § 6(b), Oct. 30, 1998, 112 Stat. 3011; Pub. L. 106–181, title V, § 506(c)(2)(B), Apr. 5, 2000, 114 Stat. 139; Pub. L. 107–56, title II, §§ 201, 202, Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 278; Pub. L. 107–197, title III, § 301(a), June 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 728; Pub. L. 107–273, div. B, title IV, §§ 4002(c)(1), 4005(a)(1), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1808, 1812; Pub. L. 108–21, title II, § 201, Apr. 30, 2003, 117 Stat. 659; Pub. L. 108–458, title VI, § 6907, Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3774;

Pub. L. 109–162, title XI, § 1171(b), Jan. 5, 2006, 119 Stat. 3123; Pub. L. 109–177, title I, §§ 110(b)(3)(C), 113, title V, § 506(a)(6), Mar. 9, 2006, 120 Stat. 208, 209, 248; Pub. L. 112–127, § 4, June 5, 2012, 126 Stat. 371; Pub. L. 112–186, § 5, Oct. 5, 2012, 126 Stat. 1429; Pub. L. 114–22, title I, § 106, May 29, 2015, 129 Stat. 238; Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title XVII, § 1761(f), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2228; Pub. L. 115–392, § 13, Dec. 21, 2018, 132 Stat. 5256; Pub. L. 117–159, div. A, title II, § 12004(a)(2), June 25, 2022, 136 Stat. 1328.)

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