A bill sponsored by Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., that seeks to prevent foreign entities from influencing the U.S. judicial system has advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee. The legislation, H.R. 2675, known as the Protecting Our Courts from Foreign Manipulation Act, was approved by the committee on November 18.
The proposed law would require foreign participants in litigation funding to disclose their involvement and would bar certain foreign actors from financing lawsuits in federal courts. According to Cline, the bill is intended to protect the integrity of American courts.
“Foreign adversaries like the CCP have no business secretly influencing America’s courts,” Cline said in a statement. “My bill safeguards the integrity of our judicial system and ensures that the decisions made in U.S. courtrooms are driven by justice, not by hidden foreign interests. I am proud to see it pass out of the House Judiciary Committee today.”
If enacted, any foreign person or entity acting as a third-party litigation funder in civil cases would be required to reveal their participation. The measure also prohibits sovereign wealth funds and foreign governments from directly or indirectly supporting litigation efforts in U.S. federal courts. Additionally, it directs the Department of Justice’s National Security Division to produce a report on foreign involvement in third-party litigation funding throughout the federal judiciary.
Rep. Ben Cline has represented Virginia’s 6th district in Congress since 2019 after succeeding Bob Goodlatte (https://cline.house.gov/about). Before his tenure in Congress, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002 until 2018 (https://cline.house.gov/about/full-biography). Born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Cline is 51 years old and resides in Fincastle (https://cline.house.gov/about/full-biography). He holds a BA from Bates College and earned his JD from the University of Richmond (https://cline.house.gov/about/full-biography).