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Leaker Accountability Act of 2022
To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for penalties for the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information by officers or employees of the Supreme Court, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill creates a federal crime for Supreme Court officers and employees who knowingly disclose confidential information related to the Court's work without authorization. The penalty would be imprisonment for up to five years, a fine, or both. Confidential information is defined to include internal notes on cases, communications between Justices and staff or between staff members about pending matters, draft and unreleased opinions, personal information of Justices not publicly available, and any other information the Chief Justice designates as confidential. The law would apply to unauthorized disclosures made in any manner or to any extent not authorized by law.
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. Johnson, Mike [R-LA-4] (R-LA)
12 cosponsors
- Rep. Bishop, Dan [R-NC-9] (R-NC)
- Rep. Fitzgerald, Scott [R-WI-5] (R-WI)
- Rep. Gohmert, Louie [R-TX-1] (R-TX)
- Rep. Good, Bob [R-VA-5] (R-VA)
- Rep. McKinley, David B. [R-WV-1] (R-WV)
- Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-IL-15] (R-IL)
- Rep. Mullin, Markwayne [R-OK-2] (R-OK)
- Rep. Owens, Burgess [R-UT-4] (R-UT)
- Rep. Smith, Adrian [R-NE-3] (R-NE)
- Rep. Spartz, Victoria [R-IN-5] (R-IN)
- Rep. Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21] (R-NY)
- Rep. Tiffany, Thomas P. [R-WI-7] (R-WI)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Mike Johnson’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NULL $1,069,000
- LOCKHEED MARTIN $43,319
- ENTREPRENEUR $37,323
- ARYLESSSENCE $20,300
- EDW C LEVY $20,196
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Mike Johnson → · Outside spending →
Actions (4)
- Nov 1, 2022 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. · house
- Nov 1, 2022 Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet. · house
- May 31, 2022 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. · house
- May 31, 2022 Introduced in House
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
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.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 31, 2022
Mr. Johnson of Louisiana (for himself, Mr. McKinley, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Owens, Mr. Bishop of North Carolina, Mrs. Spartz, Mr. Gohmert, Mr. Good of Virginia, and Ms. Stefanik) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for penalties for the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information by officers or employees of the Supreme Court, 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 “Leaker Accountability Act of 2022”.
SEC. 2. OBSTRUCTION OF SUPREME COURT DELIBERATIONS.
(a) In General.—Chapter 73 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
“SEC. 1522. OBSTRUCTION OF SUPREME COURT DELIBERATIONS.
“(a) In General.—Whoever, while serving as an officer or employee of the Supreme Court, violates this section by knowingly publishing, divulging, disclosing, or making known in any manner or to any extent not authorized by law any confidential information coming to that officer or employee in the course of the employment or official duties of that officer or employee shall be imprisoned not more than 5 years or fined under this title, or both.
“(b) Confidential Information Defined.—In this section, the term ‘confidential information’ includes internal notes on cases heard by the Supreme Court, any communication between a Justice of the Supreme Court and an employee or officer of the Supreme Court or communication between officers and employees of the Supreme Court on a matter pending before the Supreme Court, a draft opinion, a final opinion prior to the date on which such opinion is released to the public, personal information of a Justice of the Supreme Court that is not otherwise legally available to the public, and any other information designated to be confidential by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court prior to the date on which a violation of subsection (a) occurs.”.
(b) Table of Contents.—The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 73 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
“1522. Obstruction of Supreme Court deliberations.”. <all>
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