Kayleigh’s Law Act of 2026

Summary

Creates mandatory lifetime no-contact orders for people convicted of many federal violent or sexual felonies. A court must include a lifetime ban on contacting the victim when the government or the victim asks; breaking the order can be punished as contempt of court. Orders can only be ended or paused if the victim says the conviction was pardoned or commuted, or if the defendant shows the conviction was overturned or dismissed, and the court holds a hearing. The law defines which crimes count and broadly defines "contact" to include direct, indirect, electronic, or third-party communications; victims are not charged fees for orders.

• Federal courts must impose lifetime no-contact injunctions for many violent and sexual federal felonies when the government or a victim asks.
• Violating the lifetime no-contact injunction is punishable as contempt of court.
• The order can be ended or suspended only if the victim says the conviction was pardoned/commuted or the defendant shows the conviction was dismissed/overturned; the court must hold a hearing.
• The law defines a wide set of "covered offenses," including most federal sex crimes, trafficking, and many crimes of violence.
• "Contact" is defined very broadly to include direct, indirect, electronic, third-party, automated, or technological communications or physical interactions.
• Victims are not required to pay fees to obtain the no-contact order.
• The provision adds a new federal statute but does not appropriate funds or change statutory penalties beyond contempt enforcement for violations.
• The statute expressly does not limit state courts from issuing similar orders.
• Courts will have discretion at hearings to consider evidence before terminating or suspending an order.