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 Michigan, perjury is considered a serious criminal offense. Under Michigan law, specifically MCL 750.422, a person who commits perjury in any court proceeding or in any other proceeding where an oath is required by law, knowing the statement to be false, is guilty of a felony. This applies to both verbal and written statements. The punishment for perjury can be severe, including imprisonment. Additionally, suborning perjury, which involves persuading or inducing another person to commit perjury, is also a criminal offense under Michigan law (MCL 750.423). It is treated with similar gravity as perjury itself. At the federal level, perjury is governed by 18 U.S.C. §1621, which also defines the crime as willfully making false statements under oath in federal proceedings, with penalties that can include fines and imprisonment. Both state and federal laws aim to uphold the integrity of the legal process by deterring and punishing false testimony.