Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) co-sponsored the Leaker Accountability Act, legislation to make the act of knowingly leaking draft Supreme Court opinions a federal crime.

“The unprecedented leak of the Dobbs v. Jackson draft opinion and the internal deliberations of our nation’s highest court was an egregious crime that deserves a thorough investigation,” said Rep. Owens. “I’m proud to support the Leaker Accountability Act to protect confidential information from the Supreme Court and prevent future damage to the foundation of our judicial system.”

Background on the legislation:

• The Leaker Accountability Act would make knowingly sharing confidential information from the Supreme Court a crime punishable by a fine or up to 5 years imprisonment.
• The legislation applies to those who act knowingly, and covers notes, conversations, opinions before they have been released, personal information of Justices, and anything else the Chief Justice designates as confidential.

The full legislative text is available here.

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