WASHINGTON, D.C. (WBOY) — Countries like China and Russia are funding “target lawsuits” for the purpose of “undermining our economic and national security,” according to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).
Manchin and Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) have introduced the Protecting Our Courts from Foreign Manipulation Act of 2023 in an attempt to stop the practice, according to a press release.
“This legislation would provide a commonsense strategy to protect our legal system by requiring greater transparency and accountability from third-party groups and preventing foreign governments and sovereign wealth funds from funding litigation. I urge Senators on both sides of the aisle to support this bipartisan bill to ensure that our federal courts are protected from foreign influence,” Manchin said in the release.
The release said the bill would:
- Require disclosure from any foreign person or entity participating in civil litigation as a third-party litigation under U.S. federal courts.
- Ban sovereign wealth funds and foreign governments from participating in litigation finance as a third-party litigation funder, either directly or indirectly.
- Require the Department of Justice’s National Security Division to submit a report on foreign third-party litigation funding throughout the federal judiciary.
The bill was introduced by Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA). U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform President Harold Kim is urging Congress to pass it quickly.
Click here to read the full text.
