Perjury is the criminal offense of making a false statement under oath—verbally or in writing—that the witness knows to be false and that is material to the proceeding in which the statement is made. And suborning perjury or subornation of perjury is the criminal offense of procuring the perjury of another person.

Perjury is a criminal offense under both state and federal laws and may be prosecuted as a misdemeanor or as a felony offense, depending on the state or federal jurisdiction, and whether there are any aggravating factors that increase the seriousness of the crime. Perjury laws are located in state statutes—often in the penal or criminal code—and the federal perjury law is located in the United States Code at 18 U.S.C. §1621.

In Idaho, perjury is defined as knowingly making a false statement under oath or affirmation in a situation where the statement is required or authorized by law to be sworn. This includes both verbal and written statements that are material to the proceeding. Perjury is considered a serious offense and is classified as a felony under Idaho Code § 18-5401. The punishment for committing perjury can include imprisonment and/or fines. Additionally, subornation of perjury, which involves persuading or inducing another person to commit perjury, is also a criminal offense under Idaho law. Both perjury and subornation of perjury undermine the integrity of the judicial process and are treated accordingly by the legal system. At the federal level, perjury is governed by 18 U.S.C. § 1621, which similarly criminalizes the act of willfully making false statements under oath in federal proceedings, with penalties that can include fines and imprisonment.