# 119-s-4966: High Court Gift Ban Act

119-s-4966, High Court Gift Ban Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4966
- 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-4966
- Congress: 119
- Title: High Court Gift Ban Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-14
- Sponsor: Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Law
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Ban on most gifts to federal judges** would create a new federal rule that sharply limits what judges may accept, defines key terms like "gift" and "prohibited source," and sets clear exceptions and penalties. It would also require the courts to issue implementing rules within 180 days. - Judges and their households: Judges could not accept a gift unless they reasonably believe it is worth less than $50 and they have received no more than $100 from that source in a calendar year. Personal hospitality from individuals and gifts from relatives or other judges remain allowed under defined conditions. - Donors and event sponsors: A "prohibited source" is anyone with interests likely to come before the judge, and reimbursements for law-related events are limited to $2,000 unless a written waiver is obtained from the Chief Justice or the relevant chief judge. - Oversight and penalties: The Judicial Conference would refer violations to the Attorney General. Civil penalties can reach $50,000 and knowing, willful violations can trigger fines and up to 1 year in prison.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2026-07-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-07-14T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Penalties for judges accepting gifts: cost, high. This bill would require the Judicial Conference (or a designated official) to refer any judge it reasonably suspects accepted a prohibited gift to the Attorney General. The Judicial Conference would also notify the judge's circuit judicial council when it makes a referral. The Attorney General coul…
- New gift limits for federal judges: cost, low. This bill would sharply limit what federal judges and other judicial officers can accept as gifts. A judge could accept a single gift only if it is under $50 and the same source gives no more than $100 in a calendar year. "Gift" would be defined broadly to include travel, local travel, lodging, mea…

## Related bills

- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-3396: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act

## Sources
- [119-s-4966 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4966)

## Related
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-3396: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3396)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4966 (as of 2026-08-11).