Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-90

§3 District Courts to Promote Empowerment Events.

Title 28 › Part I— ORGANIZATION OF COURTS › Chapter 5— DISTRICT COURTS › § 3

Last updated May 14, 2026|Official source

Summary

Each federal district’s chief judge, or a person they choose, must hold at least one public event to promote free (pro bono) legal help for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The first event had to happen within 1 year after Sept. 4, 2018, and then at least one event must be held every year. These events must be done with a local or tribal domestic violence service group and a state or local volunteer lawyer project. If a district includes an Indian tribe or tribal group, the chief judge or designee must also hold at least one such event every 2 years with that tribe to increase pro bono help for Indian and Alaska Native victims. The chief judge can decide how to run the events but should try to make them as useful as possible and to expand access to good pro bono legal services.

Full Legal Text

Title 28, §3

Judiciary and Judicial Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

“(a)Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Sept. 4, 2018], and annually thereafter, the chief judge, or his or her designee, for each judicial district shall lead not less than one public event, in partnership with a State, local, tribal, or territorial domestic violence service provider or coalition and a State or local volunteer lawyer project, promoting pro bono legal services as a critical way in which to empower survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and engage citizens in assisting those survivors.

“(b)During each 2-year period, the chief judge, or his or her designee, for a judicial district that contains an Indian tribe or tribal organization (as those terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)) shall lead not less than one public event promoting pro bono legal services under subsection (a) of this section in partnership with an Indian tribe or tribal organization with the intent of increasing the provision of pro bono legal services for Indian or Alaska Native victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

“(c)Each chief judge shall—

“(1)have discretion as to the design, organization, and implementation of the public events required under subsection (a); and

“(2)in conducting a public event under subsection (a), seek to maximize the local impact of the event and the provision of access to high quality pro bono legal services by survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

28 U.S.C. § 3

Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial Procedure

Last Updated

May 14, 2026

Release point: 119-90