Skip to main content
HR 968 115th Congress House Crime and Law Enforcement Civil actions and liability Constitution and constitutional amendments Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation Criminal procedure and sentencing Juvenile crime and gang violence Lawyers and legal services Legal fees and court costs State and local courts

Equal Justice Under Law Act of 2017

Introduced: February 7, 2017 See on congress.gov
Sign in to write a letter Sign in to watch
This bill died when the 115th Congress ended
It never became law before the 115th Congress (2017–2018) 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 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 9, 2017
Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
Mar 9, 2017
Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
Feb 7, 2017
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Feb 7, 2017
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Equal Justice Under Law Act of 2017

This bill states that an indigent individual facing criminal prosecution or juvenile delinquency in a state court is entitled to the effective assistance of counsel, as guaranteed by the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments, at the state's expense.

The bill authorizes a federal class action lawsuit against a state for its systemic failure to guarantee the right to effective assistance of counsel. The assistance of counsel is ineffective when a class of individuals demonstrates that counsel's performance was not reasonable under prevailing professional norms.

What's happening now March 9, 2017

Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • S 328 Related bill Equal Justice Under Law Act of 2017
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 3
 Cosponsors 5
All 5 Democratic 5
D
Smith, Adam
Washington · May 17, 2017
 D
Schakowsky, Janice D.
Illinois · Mar 10, 2017
 D
Beatty, Joyce
Ohio · Mar 2, 2017
 D
Norton, Eleanor Holmes
District of Columbia · Mar 2, 2017
 D
Jeffries, Hakeem S.
New York · Feb 7, 2017
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 968: Equal Justice Under Law Act of 2017. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-968/
MLA
"H.R. 968: Equal Justice Under Law Act of 2017." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-968/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 968, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-968/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 968: Equal Justice Under Law Act of 2017](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-968/)
Report a problem