H.R. 9045: Citizen Justice Restoration Act of 2020
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H.R. 9045: Citizen Justice Restoration Act of 2020
116th Congress · introduced 2020-12-21 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2020-12-21 · official record
- Who proposed it: Rep. Kennedy, Joseph P., III [D-MA-4] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
Citizen Justice Restoration Act of 2020
Plain summary
Citizen Justice Restoration Act of 2020 This bill prohibits decisions to search, seize, or scrutinize an individual that discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or sex. Specifically, the bill prohibits a person acting under color of law from basing a decision to search, seize, or scrutinize an individual on actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or sex, including sexual orientation, and makes evidence obtained as a result of such a search or seizure inadmissible, with exceptions; requires an application for a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of a person in custody pursuant to the judgment of a state court to be granted with respect to any federal claim that was adjudicated on the merits in state court proceedings, which adjudication was in error; makes a new rule of constitutional law announced by the U.S. Supreme Court, a U.S. Court of Appeals, or a U.S. District Court retroactive to cases on collateral review; and requires an ambiguity in a statute that provides protection against discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, or sex to be construed in the manner that will provide the greatest protection against such discrimination. The bill further creates a private right of action and provides for the award of a bounty for citizen lawsuits under specified circumstances.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
What a vote does
A “Yea” vote
If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.
PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).
What does this mean? (plain words)
Official text
Citizen Justice Restoration Act of 2020
Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
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The strongest published arguments
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Arguments against (opponents)
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Alternatives
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Rep. Kennedy, Joseph P., III [D-MA-4] · 1 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Hakeem S. Jeffries (D-NY)
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (3)
- Bill
- A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
- Rulemaking
- The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.
- Statute
- A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116hr9045.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>
Record fed-us-cong116-hr9045 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116