No Rogue Jurors Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8485
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Law
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-04-23: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- Last Updated
- 2026-05-04T19:44:25Z
AI-Generated Summary
Summary of H.R. 8485 - "No Rogue Jurors Act"
Purpose
The bill aims to prevent federal taxpayer money from supporting organizations, schools, or entities that promote jury nullification. Jury nullification occurs when a juror deliberately votes to acquit a defendant even if the evidence shows they are guilty under the law, often due to disagreement with the law itself.
Key Provisions
- Funding Ban: Prohibits all federal funds—including grants, contracts, awards, or other financial assistance—from going to any organization, school, or entity that:
- Conducts training.
- Produces materials.
- Engages in outreach (e.g., under titles like "Equity & Root Cause Jury Training" or similar names).
- Targeted Activity: These activities must encourage people to seek jury service in federal or District of Columbia courts with the intent to vote against the evidence or law, specifically to acquit regardless of proof of guilt.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Introduces a new explicit restriction on federal funding based on the content of an organization's activities related to jury nullification.
- No direct amendments to prior laws; creates a standalone limitation effective upon enactment.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Federal agencies must screen grant and contract recipients to ensure no funds support prohibited activities, adding administrative oversight and compliance costs.
- Citizens and Organizations: Groups promoting jury nullification (e.g., via training or outreach) lose access to federal funding, potentially limiting their operations.
- Courts and Jury System: Indirectly aims to protect the integrity of federal and D.C. jury trials by discouraging biased juror recruitment.
- No apparent impact on international relations.
Main Stakeholders
- Federal funding agencies (e.g., those administering grants/contracts).
- Organizations, schools, and advocacy groups involved in jury-related training or outreach, especially those using equity-focused or root-cause frameworks.
- Potential jurors targeted by such programs.
- Federal and D.C. courts, benefiting from reduced nullification efforts.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Enforces viewpoint-based restrictions on federal funding, requiring clear proof of "intent" to promote nullification for enforcement.
- Constitutional: Could face challenges under the First Amendment (free speech), as it targets specific advocacy and training content; courts may scrutinize if it unduly restricts protected expression.
- Political: References specific training titles suggest targeting certain ideological programs, potentially sparking debates on government neutrality in funding civic education.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Recent Actions
- 2026-04-23: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- 2026-04-23: Introduced in House
- 2026-04-23: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- No Rogue Jurors Act — issued 2026-04-23 — PDF (2 pages)