--- kind: "section" citation: "42 U.S.C. § 1985" title: "42" title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare" number: "1985" heading: "Conspiracy to interfere with civil rights" release: "119-102" url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/1985" units: - "Chapter 21 — Civil Rights" - "Subchapter I — Generally" --- # §1985. Conspiracy to interfere with civil rights - (1) **Preventing officer from performing duties—** If two or more [persons](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) in any [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) or Territory conspire to prevent, by force, intimidation, or threat, any [person](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) from accepting or holding any [office](/usc/42/3058f.md?p=1), [trust](/usc/42/12854.md?p=6), or place of confidence under the [United States](/usc/42/403.md?p=k), or from discharging any duties thereof; or to induce by like means any officer of the [United States](/usc/42/403.md?p=k) to leave any [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f), district, or place, where his duties as an officer are required to be performed, or to injure him in his [person](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) or property on account of his lawful discharge of the duties of his [office](/usc/42/3058f.md?p=1), or while engaged in the lawful discharge thereof, or to injure his property so as to molest, interrupt, hinder, or impede him in the discharge of his official duties; - (2) **Obstructing justice; intimidating party, witness, or juror—** If two or more [persons](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) in any [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) or Territory conspire to deter, by force, intimidation, or threat, any party or witness in any court of the [United States](/usc/42/403.md?p=k) from attending such court, or from testifying to any matter pending therein, freely, fully, and truthfully, or to injure such party or witness in his [person](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) or property on account of his having so attended or testified, or to influence the verdict, presentment, or indictment of any grand or petit juror in any such court, or to injure such juror in his [person](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) or property on account of any verdict, presentment, or indictment lawfully assented to by him, or of his being or having been such juror; or if two or more [persons](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) conspire for the purpose of impeding, hindering, obstructing, or defeating, in any manner, the due course of justice in any [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) or Territory, with intent to deny to any citizen the equal protection of the laws, or to injure him or his property for lawfully enforcing, or attempting to enforce, the right of any [person](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i), or class of [persons](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i), to the equal protection of the laws; - (3) **Depriving persons of rights or privileges—** If two or more [persons](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) in any [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) or Territory conspire or go in disguise on the highway or on the premises of another, for the purpose of depriving, either directly or indirectly, any [person](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) or class of [persons](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) of the equal protection of the laws, or of equal privileges and immunities under the laws; or for the purpose of preventing or hindering the constituted authorities of any [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) or Territory from giving or securing to all [persons](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) within such [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) or Territory the equal protection of the laws; or if two or more [persons](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) conspire to prevent by force, intimidation, or threat, any citizen who is lawfully entitled to vote, from giving his support or advocacy in a legal manner, toward or in favor of the election of any lawfully qualified [person](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) as an elector for President or Vice President, or as a Member of Congress of the [United States](/usc/42/403.md?p=k); or to injure any citizen in [person](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) or property on account of such support or advocacy; in any case of conspiracy set forth in this section, if one or more [persons](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) engaged therein do, or [cause](/usc/42/9908.md?p=c-2) to be done, any act in furtherance of the object of such conspiracy, whereby another is injured in his [person](/usc/42/1320a–7k.md?p=d-4-C-i) or property, or deprived of having and exercising any right or privilege of a citizen of the [United States](/usc/42/403.md?p=k), the party so injured or deprived may have an action for the recovery of [damages](/usc/42/9601.md?p=6) occasioned by such injury or deprivation, against any one or more of the conspirators. ## Source credit (R.S. § 1980.) ## Notes ### Editorial Notes ### Codification R.S. § 1980 derived from acts July 31, 1861, ch. 33, 12 Stat. 284; Apr. 20, 1871, ch. 22, § 2, 17 Stat. 13. Section was formerly classified to section 47 of Title 8, Aliens and Nationality.