Penal Law § 210.30

Perjury; no defense · as in force on May 31, 2026

§ 210.30 Perjury; no defense.

It is no defense to a prosecution for perjury that:

1. The defendant was not competent to make the false statement alleged; or

2. The defendant mistakenly believed the false statement to be immaterial; or

3. The oath was administered or taken in an irregular manner or that the authority or jurisdiction of the attesting officer who administered the oath was defective, if such defect was excusable under any statute or rule of law.

Official sourcehttps://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PEN/210.30

In plain English

The following are not defenses to perjury:

(1) the defendant was not competent to make the alleged false statement;
(2) the defendant mistakenly thought the statement was immaterial; or
(3) the oath was given or taken irregularly, or the officer’s authority or jurisdiction was defective, if the defect was excusable under a statute or rule of law. ★

Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.

In print

This provision appears in Volume 4 — The Court Clerk: Penal Law; Volume 1 — The Court Officer in Plain English; Volume 3 — The Court Officer: Penal Law; Volume 3 — Your Career: Penal Law in Plain English.