# 119-s-3239: JAIL Act

119-s-3239, JAIL Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3239
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3239
- Congress: 119
- Title: JAIL Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-11-20
- Sponsor: Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Law
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Holds judges and government entities civilly liable** when a repeat violent offender released on bail harms someone. It would let victims or immediate family members sue in federal district court and removes judicial immunity as a defense for those suits. - Families and victims: A harmed person or an immediate family member if the victim is deceased could bring a civil action in federal court seeking damages after harm by a qualified pretrial releasee. A "covered defendant" means someone charged with a crime of violence who has a prior conviction for a crime of violence. - Judges: Federal and state judges who order release of such repeat violent offenders could face civil suits based on those release decisions. - Government entities: Federal or state government entities that issue release orders can also be sued in the same federal courts for harms caused during pretrial release.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN), 2025-11-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Suing judges for released violent offenders: mixed, low. If enacted, this bill would let a person harmed by a "covered defendant" sue the judge or government agency that released them on bail in U.S. district court. A "covered defendant" would be someone charged with a crime of violence who has a prior conviction for a crime of violence (using 18 U.S.C.…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-1462: Fix Our Forests Act
- 119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-2142: GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025
- 119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act

## Sources
- [119-s-3239 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3239)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [119-s-1462: Fix Our Forests Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1462)
- [119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3597)
- [119-s-2142: GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2142)
- [119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4952)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3239 (as of 2026-08-11).