Federal Judges: Gift Ban and Limits
A senate committee must act next: committee consideration.
While ethics reform is a popular topic, this bill faces a steep climb in a divided Congress and likely opposition from those concerned about legislative overreach into the judicial branch.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
This bill adds a new section to the federal conduct code (Title 5, U.S. Code) that specifically bans federal judges and Supreme Court justices from accepting gifts worth $50 or more, or totaling more than $100 a year from one source. Judges who break the rule risk civil fines up to $50,000 or, for willful violations, criminal fines and up to a year in prison, creating formal legal exposure that current voluntary ethics codes do not carry.
“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”
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
High Court Gift Ban Act
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.
