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To authorize civil actions against judges who, and other government entities that, release repeat offenders on bail, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill would create a civil lawsuit right allowing people who are harmed by a defendant released on bail to sue the judge or government entity that authorized the release. The right to sue applies specifically when the defendant was charged with a crime of violence and had a prior conviction for a crime of violence. The bill removes judicial immunity as a legal defense in these civil actions. Damages would be sought in federal district court, and the law would apply to both federal and state judges.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Fine, Randy [R-FL-6] (R-FL)
4 cosponsors
Actions (2)
- Sep 11, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. · house
- Sep 11, 2025 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 11, 2025
Mr. Fine (for himself, Mrs. Luna, and Mr. LaMalfa) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To authorize civil actions against judges who, and other government entities that, release repeat offenders on bail, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Judicial Accountability for Irresponsible Leniency Act” or the “JAIL Act”.
SEC. 2. CIVIL ACTIONS FOR HARM CAUSED BY REPEAT OFFENDERS RELEASED PENDING TRIAL.
(a) Civil Action.—If a judge or another government entity issues an order releasing a covered defendant on bail pending trial, and the covered defendant harms another person during such release, that person (or an immediate family member of that person if the person is deceased), may bring a civil action against the judge or other government entity in an appropriate district court of the United States seeking damages.
(b) No Judicial Immunity.—Judicial immunity is not a defense in a civil action under this section.
(c) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) The term “covered defendant” means an individual who is charged with a crime of violence and has previously been convicted of a crime of violence.
(2) The term “crime of violence” has the meaning given that term in section 16 of title 18, United States Code.
(3) The term “judge” includes Federal and State judges. <all>
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