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HR 2336 114th Congress House

Sunshine in Litigation Act of 2015

Official title: To amend chapter 111 of title 28, United States Code, relating to protective orders, sealing of cases, disclosures of discovery information in civil actions, and for other purposes.

Introduced: May 14, 2015 Introduced by: Nadler, Jerrold Democratic · New York See on congress.gov
Law Civil actions and liabilityEvidence and witnessesFreedom of informationGovernment information and archives
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Health information and medical recordsRight of privacy
This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jun 26, 2015
Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
May 14, 2015
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
May 14, 2015
Introduced in House
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 Latest action June 26, 2015

Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Sunshine in Litigation Act of 2015

Amends the federal judicial code to prohibit a court, in any civil action in which the pleadings state facts relevant to the protection of public health or safety, from entering an order restricting the disclosure of information obtained through discovery, approving a settlement agreement that would restrict such disclosure, or restricting access to court records, unless in connection with such order the court has first made independent findings of fact that: (1) the order would not restrict the disclosure of information relevant to the protection of public health or safety; or (2) the public interest in the disclosure of past, present, or potential health or safety hazards is outweighed by a specific and substantial interest in maintaining the confidentiality of the information, and the requested protective order is no broader than necessary to protect the confidentiality interest asserted.

Prohibits a court from: (1) enforcing any provision of an agreement between or among parties to the civil action, or an order entered under this Act, that restricts a party from disclosing information to any federal or state agency with authority to enforce laws regulating an activity relating to such information; or (2) enforcing any provision of a settlement agreement between or among parties to such civil action that prohibits a party from disclosing that a settlement was reached or the terms of the settlement (excluding any money paid) that involve matters relevant to the protection of public health or safety, or from discussing matters relevant to the protection of public health or safety involved in such civil action. Excepts from this enforcement prohibition (thus allowing enforcement of) a settlement agreement provision about which the court finds that the public interest in the disclosure of past, present, or potential public health or safety hazards is outweighed by a specific and substantial interest in maintaining the confidentiality of the information in question, and the requested protective order is no broader than necessary to protect the confidentiality interest asserted.

Creates a rebuttable presumption that the interest in protecting personally identifiable information of an individual outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to permit, require, or authorize the disclosure of classified information, as defined under the Classified Information Procedures Act.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 2336: Sunshine in Litigation Act of 2015. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-2336/
MLA
"H.R. 2336: Sunshine in Litigation Act of 2015." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-2336/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 2336, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-2336/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 2336: Sunshine in Litigation Act of 2015](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-2336/)
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