Right to Worship Act

Protections for worship services and attendees

This bill would make it unlawful to knowingly disrupt or impede a scheduled religious service within 100 feet of any pedestrian or vehicle entryway. The protected time would run from 1 hour before a scheduled service starts until 1 hour after it ends. The rule would apply only when the conduct substantially affects interstate commerce and would judge disruption by manner (for example, volume or duration), not by content. Private individuals could sue in federal court for injunctions, compensatory and punitive damages, costs, and reasonable attorneys' and expert fees; a private plaintiff could instead elect $5,000 per violation before final judgment. The U.S. Attorney General and state attorneys general could also bring civil actions; the Attorney General could assess fines of $2,500 for a first offense, $5,000 for a second, and $10,000 for a third or later. If no actual damages are proven in a government action, a court could order a $5,000 civil penalty per violation to vindicate the public interest.