,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #higf  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,december #af1 #bjbj 
,mr4 ,danny ,k4 ,davis of ,illinois     
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on the      
,judiciary  ,a ,,bill  ,to clarify      
access to courts of the ,united ,states 
for persons seeking redress for a       
violation of a constitutional right by  
the ,united ,states or any agent1       
person1 or entity acting in the name of 
the ,united ,states1 and for other      
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,access to the      
,american ,courts ,act of #bjbj4  #b4   
,findings ,congress finds the following3
  7#a7 ,the ,united ,states             
,constitution sets forth limits on the  
ability of the ,united ,states to act4  
7#b7 ,the ,constitution would not have  
been adopted and therefore the ,united  
,states of ,america would not have been 
formed or come into existence unless the
 ,bill of ,rights1 the first #aj        

,amendments to the ,constitution1 had   
not been adopted prior to its approval  
by the first #ac ,states forming the    
,united ,states of ,america4  7#c7 ,the 
right of the ,american people to hold   
the ,united ,states accountable for     
violations of the ,constitution         
committed by people acting allegedly in 
the name of the ,united ,states has been
 the cornerstone and bedrock upon which 
the freedom of the ,american people has 
been based4  7#d7 ,the right of the     
,american people to come before a court 
and seek redress and thereby hold the   
,government of the ,united ,states      
accountable for violations of the       
,constitution is now seriously disputed4
  7#e7 ,the ,executive ,branch of the   
,united ,states ,government has         
asserted1 in actions filed in the       
,united ,states courts by ,americans    
seeking redress for alleged             
,constitutional violations1 that no one 
can sue the ,government1 even for a     
,constitutional violation1 unless the   

,government first agrees to be sued4    
,the ,executive ,branch has asserted an 
overbroad interpretation of the extent  
of sovereign immunity1 which bars suits 
against the ,government based on        
statutory violations1 to now include    
suits based on ,constitutional          
violations as well4  7#f7 ,the effect of
 the ,executive ,branch's extension of  
sovereign immunity so as to include     
constitutional rights as well as        
statutory rights would be that--  7,a7  
the ,bill of ,rights would be converted 
to a mere bill of suggested rights2 and 
7,b7 constitutional rights would be     
enforceable only when and if the        
,government deigns to grant permission  
for their individual enforcement on a   
case-by-case basis4  7#g7 ,the ,bill of 
,rights and the other ,amendments to the
 ,constitution are not mere suggestions1
 but the inherent and enforceable rights
 possessed by all ,american people4     
,these ,amendments grant to all         
,americans the right to seek redress for

 ,constitutional violations committed in
 the name of the ,united ,states without
 first having to obtain the permission  
of the ,government before seeking such  
redress in ,federal court4  #c4 ,sense  
of ,congress ,it is the sense of        
,congress that--  7#a7 all ,americans   
should have access to ,federal courts in
 order to seek relief and redress for   
alleged claims of violations of         
constitutional rights2 and  7#b7 the    
doctrine of sovereign immunity1 as well 
as any assertion of any statute of      
limitation or equitable laches 7under   
equity or statute7 was never intended to
 bar1 restrict1 hinder or otherwise     
delay access to court or the filing of a
 claim seeking relief or redress against
 the ,government for an alleged         
violation of a constitutional right4    
#d4 ,jurisdiction of district courts    
,the district courts of the ,united     
,states shall have jurisdiction to hear 
any complaint or claim for relief based 
upon an alleged violation of a          

constitutional right by the ,united     
,states or any agent1 person or entity  
acting in the name of the ,united       
,states4 ,each such court has authority 
to grant any relief necessary to redress
 a violation of a constitutional right1 
including monetary1 injunctive1 and     
declaratory relief4  #e4 ,right to a    
jury trial ,a person filing an action in
 a district court of the ,united ,states
 seeking redress for a violation of a   
constitutional right by the ,united     
,states or any agent1 person1 or entity 
acting in the name of the ,united       
,states shall have the right to request 
a jury trial4 ,in the case of an action 
containing both constitutional and      
non-constitutional claims against the   
,united ,states1 the court shall grant  
jury trial for all claims1 and shall    
grant a jury trial for the              
constitutional claims4  #f4 ,attorney   
fees and costs ,in the case that the    
plaintiff prevails in an action brought 
against the ,united ,states seeking     

redress for a violation of a            
constitutional right by the ,united     
,states or any agent1 person1 or entity 
acting in the name of the ,united       
,states1 the court shall award the      
plaintiff attorney fees and costs4