# 119-s-5148: BOASBERG Act

119-s-5148, BOASBERG Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO); status introduced (as of 2026-10-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5148
- As of: 2026-10-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5148
- Congress: 119
- Title: BOASBERG Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-28
- Sponsor: Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Law
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-01

## Summary

**Randomized assignment of judges and panels** is the bill's central goal. It would block parties, attorneys, and judges from steering cases by requiring district courts, circuits, and three-judge district courts to adopt public rules that randomly assign civil cases and panels and to explain any reassignment. - Litigants and attorneys: Would limit "judge shopping" by banning anyone from selecting or influencing which judge or panel hears a civil case and by exposing assignment rules to the public. - Judges and court staff: Would prevent chief judges from self-assigning and stop judges from declining cases after random assignment. Judges who violate the rules face the judicial misconduct process and court employees face discipline up to termination. Attorneys who try to manipulate assignments could face sanctions including dismissal or professional discipline. - Cases touched by the Supreme Court: Would force random reassignment when the Supreme Court vacates or reverses a judgment, issues certain writs, stays an order, or takes similar actions, with reassignment done within the district or, if needed, within the circuit.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Moody, Ashley [R-FL] (R-FL), 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN), 2026-08-07T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Random judge assignment in district courts: mixed, medium. If enacted, every federal district court would have to assign all civil cases by random draw. No party, lawyer, judge, or court official could pick or influence which judge gets a case. Judges could not decline assignments after randomization. Reassignments would be allowed only in narrow situation…
- Random panels in federal appeals courts: mixed, medium. If enacted, each federal court of appeals would have to randomly assign judges to panels and randomly assign panels to cases. Parties, lawyers, and judges could not select or influence which judges sit together or which panel hears a case. Judges and panels could not decline assignments after rando…
- Random picks for three-judge courts: mixed, medium. If enacted, a new rule would require circuits to randomly select or designate judges for statutorily required three-judge district courts from district and circuit judge pools. Parties, lawyers, and judges could not pick or influence which judges serve. Judges could not decline designation after ra…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-2907: Chloe Cole Act
- 119-s-1782: Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5148 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5148)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4952)
- [119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-292)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-2907: Chloe Cole Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2907)
- [119-s-1782: Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1782)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5148 (as of 2026-10-01).