{"data":{"id":"us/32-cfr-257.3","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"32 CFR 257.3","heading":"Definition.","body":"Service of Process. When applied to the filing of a court action against an officer or agency of the United States, service of process refers to the delivery or, when appropriate, receipt by mail, of a summons and complaint made in accordance with Rule 4, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure by serving the United States and by serving a copy of the summons and complaint by registered or certified mail to such officer or agency. It further signifies the delivery of a subpoena requiring a witness to appear and give testimony or of a subpoena requiring production of documents, or delivery of a subpoena for any other reason whether or not the matter involves the United States.","path":["Title 32—National Defense","Subtitle A—Department of Defense","CHAPTER I—OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE","SUBCHAPTER M—MISCELLANEOUS","PART 257—ACCEPTANCE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-32.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:25:30Z","sha256":"ed7d8befcd9bfe77f0d654ff487c3d13500a070072a777152fd33c1560c5ca8e","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/32-cfr-257.2","next":"us/32-cfr-257.4"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}