To reassert the constitutional authority of Congress to determine the general applicability of the criminal laws of the United States, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Introduced
Latest Action · September 9, 2024
Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 494.
The No Kings Act is a Senate bill responding to the Supreme Court's 2024 ruling in Trump v. United States, which granted presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts. The bill declares that presidents and vice presidents, whether current or former, have no immunity from federal criminal prosecution unless Congress specifically grants it, and courts cannot consider whether an alleged crime fell within a president's official duties unless Congress directs otherwise. It also restricts the Supreme Court's appellate jurisdiction, barring it from dismissing charges, blocking prosecutions, or overturning convictions of presidents or vice presidents based on claims of official-act immunity, while directing that any constitutional challenges to this law itself go through the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rather than the Supreme Court. The bill affects any sitting or former president or vice president facing federal criminal charges, and sets strict deadlines for challenging the law's constitutionality: 180 days for facial challenges and 90 days for as-applied challenges after enactment. There is no funding provision, as the bill is primarily a legal and jurisdictional reform rather than a spending measure; it was introduced in August 2024 and placed on the Senate calendar in September 2024.
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