---
title: "Federal custody; remedies on motion attacking sentence"
citation: "28 U.S.C. § 2255"
authority_id: "AUTH-USC-28-2255"
authority_type: "statute"
jurisdiction: "federal_nationwide"
precedential_status: "binding_enacted_positive_law_title"
official_url: "https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/28/2255"
url: "https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/authorities/AUTH-USC-28-2255/"
legal_review: "2026-08-24"
links_checked: "2026-10-15"
links_available: 1
links_checked_count: 1
license: "CC BY 4.0"
---

# 28 U.S.C. § 2255

## Source status

The section text and currentness statement were verified against the Office of the Law Revision Counsel preliminary edition, which reported laws in effect on July 21, 2026. The full text of subsections (a) through (h) was also retrieved from the official 2023 GovInfo United States Code PDF. Currentness is controlled by the OLRC preliminary edition, not the older GovInfo main edition.

## Official sources

- Current preliminary edition: <https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/28/2255>
- Official GovInfo PDF: <https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title28/pdf/USCODE-2023-title28-partVI-chap153-sec2255.pdf>

## Propositions supported

- Subsection (h) requires panel certification as provided in § 2244 for a second or successive motion.
- Subsections (h)(1) and (h)(2) state two alternative substantive gates.

## Material limitations

The statute does not itself decide whether a later filing is legally “second or successive” or whether either substantive gate is satisfied. Those questions require independently verified controlling cases.


## Used in

- [28 U.S.C. §§ 2244 and 2255(h) — Successive-Application Gatekeeping](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/60-post-conviction/2244-2255-successive-gatekeeping.md)
- [28 U.S.C. § 2241 — Appeal, Certificate of Appealability, and Relief](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/60-post-conviction/2241-appeal-and-relief.md)
- [Initial Section 2255 Motion, Filing, and Limitations](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/60-post-conviction/2255-initial-motion-and-limitations.md)
- [Section 2255 Cognizability, Default, Actual Innocence, and Ineffective Assistance](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/60-post-conviction/2255-default-innocence-and-ineffective-assistance.md)
- [Section 2255 Screening, Hearing, Appeal, and Postjudgment Motions](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/60-post-conviction/2255-procedure-hearing-appeal-and-postjudgment.md)
- [Later Section 2255 Filings — Classification and Authorization](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/60-post-conviction/2255-later-filings-classification-and-authorization.md)
- [28 U.S.C. § 2241 — Section 2255(e) Saving Clause, Custody, and Mootness](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/60-post-conviction/2241-saving-clause-custody-and-mootness.md)
- [Extraordinary Writs — Coram Nobis, Audita Querela, and Mandamus](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/60-post-conviction/extraordinary-writs-coram-nobis-audita-querela-and-mandamus.md)
- [Supreme Court and Nationwide Floor](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/supreme-court.md)
- [Third Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/third-circuit.md)
- [Tenth Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/tenth-circuit.md)
- [Eleventh Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/eleventh-circuit.md)
- [D.C. Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/dc-circuit.md)