Sponsors
The bill aims to stop federal funds from supporting efforts that promote jury nullification and protect trial integrity, but it risks cutting funding for academic programs, chilling lawful discussion, and imposing monitoring burdens on educators and grantees.
Federal taxpayers are protected from subsidizing programs that explicitly encourage jurors to ignore evidence or law, helping preserve the integrity of federal and D.C. jury verdicts.
Federal grants cannot be used to recruit jurors with the intent to subvert legal standards, reducing the risk of coordinated interference in federal trials and aiding law enforcement efforts to maintain fair proceedings.
Nonprofits and colleges/universities that teach about jury nullification in a historical, legal, or academic context could lose federal funding or grants.
The restriction may chill protected speech and academic discussion about jury nullification, limiting classroom debate and civic education.
Enforcement could require monitoring the content of curricula and outreach by grantees and federal agencies, increasing administrative burdens on nonprofits, schools, and taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Prevents Federal funds from supporting programs, materials, or outreach that encourage serving on Federal or D.C. juries with the intent to vote contrary to law or evidence (jury nullification).
Introduced April 23, 2026 by Julia Letlow · Last progress April 23, 2026
Prohibits the use of Federal funds to give grants, contracts, awards, or other financial assistance to any organization, school, or entity that trains, produces materials, or does outreach that encourages people to serve on Federal or D.C. juries with the intent to vote contrary to evidence or law (commonly called "jury nullification" or labeled as "Equity & Root Cause Jury Training"). The ban covers any program, material, or outreach that has that purpose regardless of the label used and applies to all Federal funding.