Sponsor
Cory Anthony Booker
Senator · D-NJ
Senator · D-NJ
The bill gives State attorneys general stronger civil tools to stop police misconduct and obtain compensation for victims — improving accountability and preventing harms — at the cost of increased litigation exposure, potential duplicative or politicized enforcement, and higher financial and operational burdens on local governments and public safety personnel.
Residents harmed by police misconduct — especially racial and ethnic minorities and people with disabilities — gain a new state-level civil enforcement route because State attorneys general can sue to stop or remedy unconstitutional or unlawful policing practices.
Individuals injured by rights violations (including people with chronic conditions and members of minority communities) can obtain monetary compensation, including punitive damages for malicious or reckless conduct, improving victims' ability to recover and increasing deterrence.
All residents benefit from State AGs' ability to seek temporary, preliminary, and permanent court orders to stop ongoing deprivations of rights, which can prevent future harms from continuing police practices.
Local governments and taxpayers could face increased litigation costs and financial liabilities as State AG suits produce more civil litigation against municipalities and law enforcement agencies.
Law enforcement agencies and local governments may be subject to politically motivated or overbroad State-initiated suits that effectively impose regulatory-style oversight or pressure local policing practices without clear, uniform standards.
Concurrent or duplicative state and federal enforcement (State AG suits alongside Department of Justice actions) could create conflicting litigation, complicate prosecutions, and strain enforcement resources.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes State attorneys general to bring federal civil suits under 18 U.S.C. 241 and 242 on behalf of state residents and to seek injunctive and monetary relief, including punitive damages.
Official title: Amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for certain actions by State attorneys general.
Introduced February 10, 2026 by Cory Anthony Booker · Last progress February 10, 2026
Gives State attorneys general a new civil enforcement power to sue in federal court on behalf of state residents for violations of federal civil-rights criminal statutes 18 U.S.C. 241 and 242. States may seek injunctive relief and money damages (including punitive damages where conduct was malicious, oppressive, or recklessly indifferent) when bodily injury, serious bodily injury, death, or the risk/occurrence of injury results from conspiracies or deprivations of rights under color of law. The change creates a parens patriae cause of action for State AGs for specified federal crimes, allowing them to represent affected natural persons in federal district court even when federal prosecutors do not bring criminal charges or a private plaintiff has not filed suit.