# 119-s-5618: Judicial Ethics Enforcement Act of 2026

119-s-5618, Judicial Ethics Enforcement Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5618
- As of: 2026-10-16
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5618
- Congress: 119
- Title: Judicial Ethics Enforcement Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-30
- Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT)
- Cosponsors: 8
- Policy area: Law
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-16

## Summary

**Creates an Office of Inspector General for the judicial branch** that would investigate alleged misconduct, audit judicial operations, and recommend changes to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. It also includes whistleblower protections and clear limits on probing judges' decisions or disciplining judges. - Judges and courts: Would let the Office investigate alleged misconduct, conduct audits, issue subpoenas, and obtain information from judicial entities, but it could not review the merits of judicial decisions or punish judges. - Appointment and oversight: The Inspector General would be appointed by the Chief Justice after consultation with House and Senate leaders, serve a 4-year term with possible reappointment, report annually to the Chief Justice and Congress, and be funded by appropriations. - Workers, staff, and whistleblowers: Establishes protections against retaliation for people who provide information or assist investigations and allows civil lawsuits for victims of retaliation. The Office must inform the Attorney General if it has reasonable grounds to believe a federal crime was committed.

## Cosponsors (8)

- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Whistleblower protections for court staff: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would prohibit judicial branch employers, contractors, and agents from retaliating against employees who lawfully provide information or help investigations that could assist the Inspector General. Employees harmed by retaliation would be able to seek relief in a civil action.
- New inspector general for the courts: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create an Office of Inspector General for the judicial branch to investigate alleged misconduct and audit court operations. The Chief Justice would appoint the Inspector General after consulting congressional leaders for a four-year term. The office would be able to obtai…
- Funding and limits for inspector general: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would bar the Inspector General from reviewing the merits of judges' decisions or disciplining judges or courts. Some investigations could only start after a circuit judicial council denied review or referred the matter to the Judicial Conference. The office would be allowed to…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 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-1503: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5618 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5618)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [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-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5618 (as of 2026-10-16).