Federal RuleAug 21
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DOL Rewrites Disability Rules for 'Merit-Based Opportunity' Push
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119-hr-9095119th Congress
Right to Trial Act
Sponsored By: Representative Griffith, H. Morgan [R-VA-9]
Introduced
Summary
Protecting the constitutional right to a jury trial. This bill would change federal sentencing law so judges cannot impose or threaten longer sentences because a defendant chose to go to trial instead of accepting a plea.
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- Defendants and families: Would reduce the risk that choosing a trial leads to an enhanced sentence. Courts could impose sentences below statutory minimums when a minimum would function as a penalty for asserting the right to trial.
- Judges and courts: Would add explicit factors to 18 U.S.C. 3553(a) directing judges to consider trial-rights concerns and the plea outcomes of similarly situated codefendants. It would also amend 18 U.S.C. 3553(e) to authorize below-minimum sentences to protect the right to trial.
- Prosecutors and plea practice: Would constrain the leverage of enhanced or differential sentencing tied to plea decisions by requiring courts to weigh plea offers and the sentences of similarly situated defendants.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Protect federal defendants' right to trial
This bill would require federal judges to consider protecting a defendant's constitutional right to a trial when sentencing. It would bar increasing or threatening higher sentences because someone chose trial instead of a plea. Judges would compare plea offers and sentences of similarly situated co-defendants or similar cases. The bill would allow judges to impose a sentence below a statutory minimum to avoid penalizing a trial. These rules would take effect upon enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Griffith, H. Morgan [R-VA-9]
VA • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4]
GA • D
Sponsored 6/2/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov