II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4455 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for penalties for the 

unauthorized disclosure of confidential information by officers or employees of the Supreme Court, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 22, 2022 

Mr. CASSIDY (for himself, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, and Mr. RUBIO) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the 

Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for penalties for the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information by officers or employees of the Supreme Court, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop Supreme Court 

5 Leakers Act of 2022’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. OBSTRUCTION OF SUPREME COURT DELIBERA2 TIONS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 73 of title 18, United 

4 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing new section: 

6 ‘‘§ 1522. Obstruction of Supreme Court deliberations 

7 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘con8 fidential information’ includes— 

9 ‘‘(1) internal notes on cases heard by the Su10 preme Court of the United States; 

11 ‘‘(2) any communication between the Chief Jus12 tice of the United States or an associate justice of 

13 the Supreme Court of the United States and an em14 ployee or officer of the Supreme Court on a matter 

15 pending before the Supreme Court; 

16 ‘‘(3) a communication between officers and em17 ployees of the Supreme Court of the United States 

18 on a matter pending before the Supreme Court; 

19 ‘‘(4) a draft opinion or a final opinion prior to 

20 the date on which such opinion is released to the 

21 public; 

22 ‘‘(5) personal information of the Chief Justice 

23 of the United States or an associate justice of the 

24 Supreme Court of the United States that is not oth25 erwise legally available to the public; and 


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1 ‘‘(6) any other information designated to be 

2 confidential by the Chief Justice of the United 

3 States prior to the date on which a violation of sub4 section (b) occurs. 

5 ‘‘(b) PROHIBITION.—It shall be unlawful for any per6 son, while serving as an officer or employee of the Su7 preme Court, to knowingly publish, divulge, disclose, or 

8 make known in any manner or to any extent not author9 ized by law any confidential information coming to that 

10 officer or employee in the course of the employment or 

11 official duties of that officer or employee. 

12 ‘‘(c) CRIMINAL PENALTIES.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para14 graph (2), any individual who violates, or conspires 

15 to violate, subsection (b) shall be imprisoned not 

16 more than 10 years and fined under this title. 

17 ‘‘(2) INTERNAL NOTES.—Any individual who 

18 violates, or conspires to violate, subsection (a) with 

19 confidential information described in subsection 

20 (a)(1) shall be fined $10,000.’’. 

21 (b) CIVIL FORFEITURE.—Section 981(a)(1) of title 

22 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

23 the following: 

24 ‘‘(J) Any property, real or personal, in25 volved in a violation or attempted violation, or 


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1 which constitutes or is derived from proceeds 

2 traceable to a violation, of section 1522.’’. 

3 (c) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of sections for 

4 chapter 73 of title 18, United States Code, is amended 

5 by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘1522. Obstruction of Supreme Court deliberations.’’. 

Æ 


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