Courthouse Ethics and Transparency Act
Bill: H.R.5720 | Sponsor: Rep. Ross, Deborah K. (D-NC)
Policy area: Law

Summary:
Courthouse Ethics and Transparency Act
This bill requires federal judicial officers to file periodic transaction reports disclosing certain securities transactions. The bill also requires online publication of judicial financial disclosure reports.
Specifically, the bill requires federal judicial officers to file reports within 45 days after a purchase, sale, or exchange that exceeds $1,000 in stocks, bonds, commodities futures, and other forms of securities.
Additionally, the bill directs the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to establish a searchable internet database of judicial financial disclosure reports. The office must, within 90 days of the date by which a report must be filed, make the report available on the database in a searchable, sortable, and downloadable format.
The bill does not require the immediate and unconditional availability of reports filed by a judicial officer or employee if the Judicial Conference finds that revealing personal and sensitive formation could endanger that individual or a family member of that individual.

To amend the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to provide for a periodic 
transaction reporting requirement for Federal judicial officers and the 
online publication of financial disclosure reports of Federal judicial 
                   officers, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Courthouse Ethics and Transparency 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PERIODIC TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ONLINE PUBLICATION OF 
              FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORTS OF FEDERAL JUDICIAL 
              OFFICERS.

    (a) Periodic Transaction Reporting Requirement for Federal Judicial 
Officers.--
            (1) In general.--Section 103(l) of the Ethics in Government 
        Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by adding at the end the 
        following:
            ``(11) Each judicial officer.''.
            (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
        shall apply to applicable transactions occurring on or after 
        the date that is 90 days after the date of enactment of this 
        Act.
    (b) Online Publication of Financial Disclosure Reports of Federal 
Judicial Officers.--Section 105 of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 
(5 U.S.C. App.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections 
        (d) and (e), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
    ``(c) Online Publication of Financial Disclosure Reports of 
Judicial Officers.--
            ``(1) Establishment of database.--Not later than 180 days 
        after the date of enactment of the Courthouse Ethics and 
        Transparency Act, the Administrative Office of the United 
        States Courts shall establish a searchable internet database to 
        enable public access to any report required to be filed by a 
        judicial officer under this title.
            ``(2) Availability.--Not later than 90 days after the date 
        on which a report is required to be filed under this title by a 
        judicial officer, the Administrative Office of the United 
        States Courts shall make the report available on the database 
        established under paragraph (1) in a full-text searchable, 
        sortable, and downloadable format for access by the public.
            ``(3) Redaction.--Any report made available on the database 
        established under paragraph (1) shall not contain any 
        information that is redacted in accordance with subsection 
        (b)(3).''.
    (c) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Section 103(l) of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 
        (5 U.S.C. App.) (as amended by subsection (a)(1)) is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (9), by striking ``, as defined 
                under section 109(12)''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (10), by striking ``, as defined 
                under section 109(13)''.
            (2) Section 105 of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (5 
        U.S.C. App.) (as amended by subsection (b)) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``be 
                revealing'' and inserting ``by revealing''; and
                    (B) in subsection (b)--
                            (i) in paragraph (1)--
                                    (I) in the first sentence, by 
                                striking ``be,,'' and inserting 
                                ``be,''; and
                                    (II) in the third sentence, by 
                                striking ``may be may'' and inserting 
                                ``may be, may''; and
                            (ii) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking 
                        ``described in section 109(8) or 109(10) of 
                        this Act'' and inserting ``who is a judicial 
                        officer or a judicial employee''.
            (3) Section 107(a)(1) of the Ethics in Government Act of 
        1978 (5 U.S.C. App) is amended in the


              

         last sentence by striking ``and (d)'' and inserting ``and 
        (e)''.

            Passed the House of Representatives December 1, 2021.

            Attest:

                                             CHERYL L. JOHNSON,

                                                                 Clerk.