Bindinglaw

US · rules

Fed. R. Crim. P. 38

Staying a Sentence or a Disability

activein force · 2024-12-01 – presentact-effective-date

(a) Death Sentence. The court must stay a death sentence if the

defendant appeals the conviction or sentence.

(b) Imprisonment.

(1) Stay Granted. If the defendant is released pending appeal,

the court must stay a sentence of imprisonment.

(2) Stay Denied; Place of Confinement. If the defendant is not

released pending appeal, the court may recommend to the Attorney General that the defendant be confined near the place

of the trial or appeal for a period reasonably necessary to permit the defendant to assist in preparing the appeal.

(c) Fine. If the defendant appeals, the district court, or the court

of appeals under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 8, may stay

a sentence to pay a fine or a fine and costs. The court may stay

the sentence on any terms considered appropriate and may require

the defendant to:

(1) deposit all or part of the fine and costs into the district

court’s registry pending appeal;

(2) post a bond to pay the fine and costs; or

(3) submit to an examination concerning the defendant’s assets and, if appropriate, order the defendant to refrain from

dissipating assets.

(d) Probation. If the defendant appeals, the court may stay a

sentence of probation. The court must set the terms of any stay.

(e) Restitution and Notice to Victims.

(1) In General. If the defendant appeals, the district court, or

the court of appeals under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 8, may stay—on any terms considered appropriate—any

sentence providing for restitution under 18 U.S.C. § 3556 or notice under 18 U.S.C. § 3555.

(2) Ensuring Compliance. The court may issue any order reasonably necessary to ensure compliance with a restitution

order or a notice order after disposition of an appeal, including:

(A) a restraining order;

(B) an injunction;

(C) an order requiring the defendant to deposit all or

part of any monetary restitution into the district court’s

registry; or

(D) an order requiring the defendant to post a bond.

(f) Forfeiture. A stay of a forfeiture order is governed by Rule

32.2(d).

(g) Disability. If the defendant’s conviction or sentence creates

a civil or employment disability under federal law, the district

54 Rule 39 FEDERAL RULES OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE

court, or the court of appeals under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 8, may stay the disability pending appeal on any terms

considered appropriate. The court may issue any order reasonably

necessary to protect the interest represented by the disability

pending appeal, including a restraining order or an injunction.

(As amended Dec. 27, 1948, eff. Jan. 1, 1949; Feb. 28, 1966, eff. July

1, 1966; Dec. 4, 1967, eff. July 1, 1968; Apr. 24, 1972, eff. Oct. 1, 1972;

Pub. L. 98–473, title II, § 215(c), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2016, eff. Nov.

1, 1987; Mar. 9, 1987, eff. Aug. 1, 1987; Apr. 17, 2000, eff. Dec. 1, 2000;

Apr. 29, 2002, eff. Dec. 1, 2002.)

Provenance

Source
uscourts.gov
Retrieved
2026-08-19
Edition
2026-08-19
Content hash
091d91a129d2d04acab6a979ebfb94ec88cf84043517e75725ac7270176132ae
View the official source →

The link goes to the issuing authority’s own document — the one we read to produce this record. Where a source publishes whole titles rather than sections, your browser may need a moment to jump to the provision.

Unofficial copy of government-published law, reproduced from official sources with full provenance. Not an official publication; verify against official sources before relying on it in a filing. Records in the 'guidance' corpus, and only that corpus, are sub-regulatory (interpretive guidelines, survey procedures) and are not binding law. Validity bounds follow each jurisdiction's declared temporalBasis.

Coverage · API docs

Bindinglaw

Point-in-time US law with the receipt attached. Source URL, retrieval time, content hash, and validity dates on every answer.

curl api.binding.law/v1/law/coverage

© 2026 binding.law · a Jubal, Inc. productAttorneys and firms never pay. Ever.
Fed. R. Crim. P. 38 — Staying a Sentence or a Disabil… · binding.law