Seventh Amendment Restoration Act

The Seventh Amendment Restoration Act would authorize people involved in disputes with federal agencies to transfer their cases from administrative law judges to federal district courts. Currently, federal agencies use their own internal courts (administrative law courts) to resolve disputes, but this bill would give individuals the option to have their case heard instead in a regular federal district court where they could request a jury trial. The bill was introduced in response to a 2024 Supreme Court decision that found the Securities and Exchange Commission's use of administrative courts violated the Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial. If enacted, this legislation would extend that ruling to all federal agencies, allowing defendants to remove cases from agency proceedings and pursue jury trials in federal court. The bill is currently in committee and has not yet been voted on by the full House.