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Court Financial Transparency: New Rules for Amicus Groups

This act introduces new rules for financial transparency of groups that submit opinions in court cases. The goal is to increase openness so citizens can better understand who influences court decisions. The act also prohibits these groups from giving gifts to judges.
Key points
Groups supporting court cases (amicus curiae) will have to disclose their funders if contributions are significant.
Giving gifts or paying for judges' travel by these groups will be prohibited, except for appearances at accredited law schools.
Failure to comply with the rules may result in significant civil fines, up to $200,000.
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Status:
Expired
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Additional Information
Print number: 117_S_3385
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
Process start date: 2021-12-14
System Note: Lustra is free, publicly auditable civic infrastructure, with full source code available on GitHub. You are reading sterilized legislative data, processed by our radical neutrality engine to strip political spin and retain factual mechanics. We process only official government data. Original documents remain the authoritative source, always verify them if you can.
Summarized by: gemini-2.5-flash-preview-05-20
Source data: api.congress.gov
AI work logs for this document launch

OFFICIAL LEGAL TITLE

AMICUS Act

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the official ID of this bill?

The official print number for this legislation is 117_S_3385.

Which chamber initiated this legislation?

This legislation was initiated in the Senate.

When did the legislative process begin?

The process officially started on 2021-12-14.

What are the main provisions?

Key points include:

  • Groups supporting court cases (amicus curiae) will have to disclose their funders if contributions are significant.
  • Giving gifts or paying for judges' travel by these groups will be prohibited, except for appearances at accredited law schools.
  • Failure to comply with the rules may result in significant civil fines, up to $200,000.
What is the specific legal status?

The current status is Expired.

Where can I read the full text of this legislation?

The full official text is available at: View full text

Who is the primary sponsor?

The primary sponsor is Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI].

What is the latest detailed status?

The latest detailed status is: Introduced in Senate

Is this summary verified?

Yes. This content was analyzed by AI and verified by the Lustra Judge System on 2025-12-29.

What is the impact of this bill?

We don't know, that is up to you to decide. Summarizing raw data with AI is fundamentally different from predicting socio-economic outcomes. As of 2026, we believe impact assessment strictly requires a human in the loop to verify and judge.

CATEGORIES

Courts and Law