High Court Gift Ban Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9688 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9688

 To prohibit Federal judges from receiving gifts valued over $50 in an
   instance or $100 in the aggregate in a year from a source unless
                   excepted, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 14, 2026

Mr. Raskin (for himself, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Balint, Mr. Carson, Ms.
   Budzinski, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Correa, Ms. Crockett, Ms. DeLauro, Mr.
Deluzio, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Mrs.
 Foushee, Mr. Frost, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Garcia of California,
   Mr. Huffman, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms.
  Kamlager-Dove, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mr. Lieu, Mr. McGovern, Mr.
Mullin, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Neguse, Ms. Norton, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Pocan, Mr.
Quigley, Ms. Ross, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Smith
 of Washington, Ms. Stansbury, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Torres of New
York, Ms. Williams of Georgia, and Mr. Casar) introduced the following
       bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To prohibit Federal judges from receiving gifts valued over $50 in an
   instance or $100 in the aggregate in a year from a source unless
                   excepted, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``High Court Gift Ban Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON GIFTS.

    Subchapter V of chapter 73 of title 5, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 7354. Gifts to Federal judges
    ``(a) In General.--
            ``(1) Prohibition.--A judicial officer may not accept a
        gift from any source unless--
                    ``(A) the judicial officer reasonably and in good
                faith believes the gift has a value of less than $50;
                and
                    ``(B) the aggregate value of gifts the judicial
                officer has received from the source in that calendar
                year is $100 or less, inclusive of the present gift.
            ``(2) Exceptions.--The prohibition under paragraph (1) does
        not apply to any of the following circumstances:
                    ``(A) Anything for which the judicial officer pays
                the fair market value.
                    ``(B) Anything for which the judicial officer does
                not use and promptly returns to the person who provided
                the gift to the judicial officer.
                    ``(C) A gift from a relative.
                    ``(D) A gift from another judicial officer.
                    ``(E) Honorary degrees (and associated travel,
                food, refreshments, and entertainment) and other bona
                fide, nonmonetary awards presented in recognition of
                public service (and associated food, refreshments, and
                entertainment provided in the presentation of such
                degrees and awards) paid for by an educational
                institution so long as only the educational institution
                pays for, or sponsors, the award and invites the
                judicial officer.
                    ``(F) Opportunities and benefits that are--
                            ``(i) available to the public or to a class
                        consisting of all Federal employees;
                            ``(ii) offered to members of a group or
                        class for which membership in such group or
                        class is unrelated to service as a judicial
                        officer;
                            ``(iii) offered to members of an
                        organization open to all judicial officers;
                            ``(iv) in the form of loans from banks and
                        other financial institutions on terms generally
                        available to the public; or
                            ``(v) in the form of a reduction in
                        membership fees or fees for participation in
                        activities of an organization if such reduction
                        is offered to all Federal employees and such
                        organization is a professional organization in
                        which its membership is solely contingent on
                        professional qualifications of the prospective
                        member.
                    ``(G) Reimbursement for reasonable expenses for
                transportation, food, lodging, and entertainment at a
                seminar or event relating to the law, the legal system,
                or the administration of justice so long as--
                            ``(i) the judicial officer was not invited
                        to the seminar or event by a prohibited source;
                            ``(ii) the seminar or event is not
                        organized, paid for, or sponsored by a
                        prohibited source; and
                            ``(iii) the total amount of reimbursement
                        for the seminar or event is--
                                    ``(I) $2,000 or less; or
                                    ``(II) greater than $2,000 if such
                                judicial officer received a written
                                waiver from the Chief Justice of the
                                United States (in the case of a
                                justice) or the chief judge of the
                                circuit or district of such officer (in
                                the case of a judge).
                    ``(H) Personal hospitality from an individual, who
                is not a prohibited source, in an amount that does not
                exceed the dollar amount established under paragraph
                (1) of section 2503(b)(as adjusted under paragraph (2)
                of such section) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
                (26 U.S.C. 2503(b)) with respect to such calendar year.
            ``(3) Gifts to relatives.--A gift to a relative of the
        judicial officer shall be considered a gift to the judicial
        officer if--
                    ``(A) it is given with the knowledge and
                acquiescence of the judicial officer; and
                    ``(B) the judicial officer has reason to believe
                the gift was given because of the official position of
                the judicial officer.
    ``(b) Enforcement.--
            ``(1) Referral.--
                    ``(A) Attorney general.--The Judicial Conference,
                or any official designated by the Supreme Court or
                Congress to assist the justices in maintaining
                compliance with the Code of Conduct for Justices of the
                Supreme Court of the United States issued by the Court
                on November 13, 2023, or any successor rules or
                regulations governing ethical or conduct standards for
                justices, shall refer to the Attorney General the name
                of any individual who the Conference or the official
                has reasonable cause to believe has accepted a gift
                prohibited by this section or any other law or
                regulation.
                    ``(B) Notification of referral.--Whenever the
                Judicial Conference refers a judicial officer to the
                Attorney General under this subsection, the Conference
                shall notify the judicial council of the circuit in
                which such referred judicial officer serves.
            ``(2) Penalties.--
                    ``(A) Civil penalties.--The Attorney General may
                bring a civil action in any appropriate United States
                district court for a violation of this section, the
                penalties for which shall be the same as the penalties
                for violating section 13104 which are described in
                section 13106.
                    ``(B) Criminal penalties.--In the case of any
                knowing and willful violation of this subsection, the
                criminal penalties set forth in section 13106(a)(2)
                shall apply.
    ``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Gift.--The term `gift' means any gratuity, favor,
        discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, forbearance, or
        other item having monetary value (including services,
        transportation, local travel, lodgings, and meals) whether
        provided in-kind, by purchase of a ticket, payment in advance,
        or reimbursement after the expense has been incurred.
            ``(2) Judicial officer.--The term `judicial officer' has
        the meaning given that term in section 13101.
            ``(3) Personal hospitality from an individual.--The term
        `personal hospitality from an individual' means hospitality
        extended--
                    ``(A) by an individual for a nonbusiness purpose;
                    ``(B) at the personal residence, property, or
                facilities owned by the individual or the individual's
                family;
                    ``(C) without payment or reimbursement from any
                other person (except the judicial officer or a relative
                of the judicial officer) for such hospitality; and
                    ``(D) with the individual or the individual's
                family present on the property at the time in which a
                judicial officer is being hosted.
            ``(4) Prohibited source.--The term `prohibited source'
        means any person--
                    ``(A) who has, or is likely to, come before the
                judicial officer; or
                    ``(B) whose interests have, or are likely to, come
                before the judicial officer.
            ``(5) Relative.--The term `relative' has the meaning given
        that term in section 13101.
    ``(f) Implementation.--Within 180 days of the enactment of the, the
Supreme Court of the United States and the Judicial Conference of the
United States shall each promulgate regulations to carry out this
section and ensure compliance.
    ``(g) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to make it permissible for a judicial officer to accept a
gift or other item of value that the judicial officer is prohibited
from accepting under any other law, rule, or regulation.''.
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