Manitowoc County’s congressman in Washington has introduced a bill that would “ensure Americans have a fair opportunity to enforce their constitutional rights in court.”
Congressman Glenn Grothman says the Restoring Civil Rights Attorney’s Fees Act would allow people to recover their attorney’s fees “when litigation results in meaningful, enforceable relief.”
Rep. Grothman says the Civil Rights Attorney’s Fees Awards Act of 1976 was signed to protect a citizen’s constitutional right from depending on whether they could afford a lengthy legal battle.
The Glenbeulah Republican’s bill would include “final court-ordered relief, preliminary relief like an injunction or temporary restraining order, and situations where litigation prompts the government to voluntarily end an unconstitutional law, regulation, or policy.”
Rep. Grothman says the government should also not be able to avoid accountability simply by changing course after a lawsuit forces it to confront an unconstitutional policy.
The Restoring Civil Rights Attorney’s Fees Act has been moved to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary after it was introduced in the House of Representatives last week.
