§ 1453 [Presumption of Genuine Domestic Official Signature]

If a document has a signature that looks like it belongs to a government worker or notary acting in their official role, courts will assume that signature is real and properly authorized. This applies to signatures from federal employees, state or local government employees, or notaries public anywhere in the United States.

This rule makes it easier to use official documents in court. Instead of having to prove that a government employee or notary actually signed something, the person presenting the document gets a head start. The court simply accepts the signature as genuine unless someone provides evidence to challenge it.

For people involved in a case, this means official looking documents with government or notary signatures are generally treated as trustworthy from the start. If you want to argue that such a signature is fake or unauthorized, you would need to bring your own evidence to back up that claim.