Chairman Goodlatte Praises Enactment of the Judicial Redress Act

Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the following statement upon enactment of the Judicial Redress Act:

“A strong relationship with our allies in Europe is key to restoring trust between our citizens and law enforcement officials. The Judicial Redress Act increases privacy protections and ensures continued law enforcement cooperation between the United States and Europe. I am pleased this bill was passed in the House and Senate with bipartisan support, and now signed into law.”

Background: The Judicial Redress Act of 2015 strengthens partnerships with our allies by giving covered foreign citizens the ability to seek judicial redress in U.S. courts to ensure that their privacy is protected when they give similar rights to U.S. citizens. The bipartisan legislation extends certain privacy protection rights to citizens of European countries, as well as other allied nations, if the federal government willfully discloses information in violation of the Privacy Act. Under the Judicial Redress Act, citizens of designated countries would be extended the core benefits of the Privacy Act, which already applies to Americans, with regard to information shared with U.S. law enforcement authorities, including the ability to bring a lawsuit for the intentional or willful disclosure of personal information.  Many countries already extend such protections to U.S. citizens. The House Judiciary Committee approved the Judicial Redress Act of 2015 by voice vote in September of 2015, and the bill was passed in the House of Representatives in October of 2015 by voice vote. Click here to learn more about the legislation.