A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, to establish a procedure to dismiss strategic lawsuits against public participation brought by governments, agents, instrumentalities, and entities of foreign adversaries and other countries that have engaged in a pattern of frivolous litigation against United States persons intended to deter the free exercise of rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other purposes.

Senate Bill

S. 3983

119th Congress

A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, to establish a procedure to dismiss strategic lawsuits against public participation brought by governments, agents, instrumentalities, and entities of foreign adversaries and other countries that have engaged in a pattern of frivolous litigation against United States persons intended to deter the free exercise of rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other purposes.

In Committee

Introduced:Mar 4, 2026

Primary Sponsor

Sponsor information unavailable

Cosponsors

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Quick Stats

Summary

This bill creates a legal process to quickly dismiss lawsuits filed by foreign adversary governments or certain other countries against Americans when those lawsuits are designed to silence free speech. The bill targets what are called 'strategic lawsuits against public participation' (SLAPP suits) that foreign entities use to intimidate people from exercising their First Amendment rights.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Introduced3/4/2026

StatusRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

ChamberSenate

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Vote Prediction

A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, to establish a procedure to dismiss strategic lawsuits against public participation brought by governments, agents, instrumentalities, and entities of foreign adversaries and other countries that have engaged in a pattern of frivolous litigation against United States persons intended to deter the free exercise of rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other purposes.

This bill creates a legal process to quickly dismiss lawsuits filed by foreign adversary governments or certain other countries against Americans when those lawsuits are designed to silence free speech. The bill targets what are called 'strategic lawsuits agai

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This bill creates a legal process to quickly dismiss lawsuits filed by foreign adversary governments or certain other countries against Americans when those lawsuits are designed to silence free speech. The bill targets what are called 'strategic lawsuits against public participation' (SLAPP suits) that foreign entities use to intimidate people from exercising their First Amendment rights.

Bill Number: 3983
Introduced: 3/4/2026
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, to establish a procedure to dismiss strategic lawsuits against public participation brought by governments, agents, instrumentalities, and entities of foreign adversaries and other countries that have engaged in a pattern of frivolous litigation against United States persons intended to deter the free exercise of rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other purposes.
Bill Number: 3983
Sponsor: No sponsor
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced: 3/4/2026
Summary: This bill creates a legal process to quickly dismiss lawsuits filed by foreign adversary governments or certain other countries against Americans when those lawsuits are designed to silence free speech. The bill targets what are called 'strategic lawsuits against public participation' (SLAPP suits)

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill creates a legal process to quickly dismiss lawsuits filed by foreign adversary governments or certain other countries against Americans when those lawsuits are designed to silence free speech. The bill targets what are called 'strategic lawsuits against public participation' (SLAPP suits) that foreign entities use to intimidate people from exercising their First Amendment rights.

Last updated: 3/6/2026

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

The bill establishes a procedure in federal law to dismiss certain lawsuits brought by foreign governments or their representatives against U.S. citizens.
It specifically targets lawsuits from countries designated as foreign adversaries or those with a history of filing frivolous legal cases against Americans.
The bill aims to protect First Amendment rights by stopping lawsuits intended to silence or intimidate people from speaking freely or participating in public debate.
These types of lawsuits are known as SLAPP suits, which are legal actions meant to discourage people from exercising their constitutional rights through the burden of defending a lawsuit.
The bill would apply to lawsuits filed by foreign governments, their agents, related organizations, and government-controlled entities.

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill would primarily affect U.S. citizens, journalists, activists, researchers, and organizations who speak publicly about foreign governments and might face retaliatory lawsuits. It would make it easier and faster for these individuals to get foreign government lawsuits dismissed in federal court. Foreign governments identified as adversaries or those with patterns of filing questionable lawsuits against Americans would face new limitations on their ability to use U.S. courts to silence critics.

Policy Areas

No policy areas assigned yet.

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

3983, 119th Congress (2026). "A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, to establish a procedure to dismiss strategic lawsuits against public participation brought by governments, agents, instrumentalities, and entities of foreign adversaries and other countries that have engaged in a pattern of frivolous litigation against United States persons intended to deter the free exercise of rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other purposes.". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/119-s-3983

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