End Foreign Abuse of United States Courts Act
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To President
- Became Law
Overview
This bill creates procedures to dismiss frivolous lawsuits filed by foreign governments designed to silence Americans' First Amendment rights, including religious speech and exercise. It protects U.S. citizens from foreign legal harassment campaigns.
Why it matters: Christian organizations, churches, and families that speak publicly on faith, family, or values issues could face intimidation through foreign SLAPP suits; this bill provides a legal shield against such weaponized litigation from hostile foreign powers.
Topic: Religious freedom & expression · classifier confidence 72%
What this changes
Amends existing law
Law today: Title 28, United States Code governs federal court procedures. Currently, there is no specific expedited procedure to dismiss lawsuits filed by foreign governments or their agents based on whether they are strategic suits intended to suppress First Amendment rights.
If passed: The bill would create a new procedure allowing U.S. courts to quickly dismiss lawsuits brought by foreign governments or entities that appear designed to intimidate Americans into silence on public issues. This would protect Christian families and organizations from being dragged into costly foreign litigation aimed at suppressing their speech, advocacy, or religious witness.
AI-generated from the bill text — verify against the official text.
Likely supporters & opponents
Likely support
- Free-speech and religious-liberty advocacy organizations — Foreign governments should not be able to use U.S. courts as a tool to silence American citizens and organizations exercising First Amendment rights, including religious speech and activism.
- Christian advocacy and religious-liberty organizations — This protects churches, Christian nonprofits, and religious individuals from having to defend frivolous lawsuits filed by hostile foreign regimes seeking to suppress Christian witness and advocacy.
Likely opposition
- Civil-liberties and due-process advocates — The bill may be too broad in its definition of 'strategic' suits and could improperly deny foreign litigants fair access to courts or create new barriers to legitimate claims.
- International law and diplomatic experts — Creating special dismissal procedures for foreign litigants may complicate diplomatic relationships and set a precedent affecting how other countries treat American litigants abroad.
AI-inferred typical positions based on the bill’s substance — general stakeholder categories, not confirmed endorsements.
Should I support this?
Likely helpful for Christian families
The bill protects Americans—including Christian families and religious organizations—from being burdened by abusive lawsuits filed by foreign adversaries for the purpose of silencing their First Amendment rights and religious speech. This directly strengthens religious freedom and the ability of Christians to advocate and speak without fear of costly foreign litigation designed to intimidate them.
An AI assessment from a Christian-family perspective — religious freedom, parental rights, and freedom in education — not legal or voting advice.
Official summary
A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, to establish a procedure to dismiss strategic lawsuits against public participation brought by governments, agents, instrumentalities, and entities of foreign adversaries and other countries that have engaged in a pattern of frivolous litigation against United States persons intended to deter the free exercise of rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
- Jeanne Shaheen (D)
- Bill Cassidy (R)
Status timeline
- 2026-03-04Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.S
H = House · S = Senate · A = Assembly