Sponsors (5)
Pauses civil lawsuits brought or continued by a presidential candidate, the President-elect, or the President if the action is filed, begun, or continued within 90 days before a general election. The court must stay the case until the person’s presidential term ends, or if a candidate is not elected, until the election results are certified/ratified. The stay also applies to the President’s spouse and children and to businesses or entities that list the President or an immediate family member as a grantor or beneficiary. While a stay is in effect, statutory deadlines are tolled and resume when the stay ends. The law explicitly preserves the President’s and federal agencies’ ability to bring or defend civil cases on behalf of the United States.
Trigger: The filing, initiation, or continuation of a civil action by a person who is (a) a candidate for the office of President within 90 days of the general Presidential election, (b) the President-elect, or (c) the President.
Court action: The court shall immediately stay (pause) any further proceedings in the civil action when the trigger in this section applies.
Duration for persons who serve as President or President-elect: The stay remains in effect until the end of that person’s term as President.
Duration for a candidate who is not elected: If the candidate is not elected to the office, the stay remains in effect until the date on which the House of Representatives ratifies the results of the election.
The restriction applies to each member of the immediate family of the President.
Primary effects fall on presidential candidates, the President, and their immediate family (spouse and children), plus businesses or entities that identify the President or an immediate family member as a grantor or beneficiary. Those covered cannot have civil suits proceed in normal time if the action is filed, started, or continued within 90 days before a general election; courts must pause such suits until the stay ends. Plaintiffs seeking civil remedies against covered individuals or entities will face delayed access to adjudication and enforcement while deadlines are tolled. Courts will be required to enter and manage mandatory stays for qualifying suits, shifting scheduling and case-flow burdens. The tolling provision preserves plaintiffs’ ability to file once the stay ends, but enforcement and evidence preservation may be affected by delay. Businesses tied to covered persons may see commercial litigation postponed. Federal executive branch litigation on behalf of the United States is explicitly allowed to continue, so government-initiated or government-defending civil actions are not impeded. The measure could change litigation timing strategies—plaintiffs and defendants may alter when they file or move to continue cases in light of the 90-day window. The law does not provide funding or address criminal cases; it focuses narrowly on civil procedure timing for a defined set of actors.
Last progress June 5, 2025 (8 months ago)
Introduced on June 5, 2025 by Seth Magaziner
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.