Right to Worship Act

What it does

• •Prohibits conduct that knowingly disrupts scheduled religious services or impedes people from attending them within 100 feet of a house of worship's entrances, during the period one hour before through one hour after the service, if the conduct substantially affects interstate commerce.
• •Establishes civil penalties ranging from $2,500 for a first offense to $10,000 per occurrence for third and subsequent offenses, enforced by the Attorney General.
• •Creates private rights of action allowing aggrieved persons to sue for injunctive relief, compensatory damages (including statutory damages of $5,000 per violation), punitive damages, and attorney fees in federal district court.
• •Permits the U.S. Attorney General and state attorneys general to bring civil actions for injunctive relief and civil penalties to vindicate public interest.

Why it matters

• •The bill establishes federal statutory protection for religious assembly by creating enforceable prohibitions and remedies for conduct that interferes with scheduled worship, absent existing comparable federal law in this form.
• •It defines prohibited conduct by manner of conduct (volume, duration, frequency, impact) rather than content, explicitly preserving free speech rights while restricting disruptive activities in specified time and place contexts.
• •Multiple enforcement mechanisms—government civil actions, private civil suits with statutory damages, and escalating penalties—create overlapping avenues to deter and remedy violations.

Who is affected

• •Persons who engage in disruptive conduct within 100 feet of houses of worship entrances during scheduled religious services and one-hour buffer periods.
• •Houses of worship and their congregants seeking protection from interference with services.
• •The Attorney General of the United States and state attorneys general responsible for enforcement.

What happens next

The bill is referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for further consideration.