Equal Justice Under Law Act of 2016

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IntroducedPassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law (gold)Resolution agreed to (full, dark)Failed or vetoed (gray)

Under the number: the Yea · Nay count of its final (or latest) recorded vote. On a member's page, the small badge is how that member voted: Y Yea / Aye, N Nay / No, P Present, – Not voting.

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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 114th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.

D MaloneySponsor

16 cosponsors · 16 D

6 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.

This bill states that an indigent individual facing criminal prosecution or juvenile delinquency in a state court is entitled to the effective assistance of counsel, as guaranteed by the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments, at the state's expense.

What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Apr 29, 2016

Equal Justice Under Law Act of 2016

The bill authorizes a federal class action lawsuit against a state for its systemic failure to guarantee the right to effective assistance of counsel. The assistance of counsel is ineffective when a class of individuals demonstrates that counsel's performance was not reasonable under prevailing professional norms.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov

About this bill and sources

Official title: Equal Justice Under Law Act of 2016

Latest action (May 17, 2016): Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement · Origin: House · Introduced: Apr 29, 2016

Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)

No recorded floor vote found.