Bill expands attorney's fees for civil rights plaintiffs, lowering litigation barriers
H.R. 10335 — Restoring Civil Rights Attorney’s Fees Act of 2026 · Filed by Glenn Grothman (R-WI) · Introduced Sep 10, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal law to clarify when civil rights plaintiffs can recover attorney's fees from defendants. It expands the definition of 'prevailing party' to include cases where a plaintiff wins through a court order (even preliminary ones), a settlement agreement, or when a defendant voluntarily changes position to moot the case—ensuring plaintiffs who achieve real relief can collect legal costs even if the case is later dismissed on technical grounds.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative function is to clarify and expand attorney's fee recovery for civil rights plaintiffs, removing technical barriers (mootness, preliminary relief) that previously blocked fee awards. This is a procedural reform aimed at strengthening the economic viability of civil rights litigation.
What the text implies
- Preliminary injunctions and temporary restraining orders now trigger fee eligibility even if later vacated on mootness—this may increase the strategic value of seeking interim relief in civil rights cases.
- Voluntary defendant concessions (including government agency policy changes) now qualify as 'prevailing'—agencies may face higher litigation costs when they unilaterally reverse challenged policies, potentially affecting settlement incentives.
- Retroactive application to pending cases means plaintiffs in ongoing litigation may suddenly become eligible for fee recovery under the new standard, creating a windfall for some litigants already in court.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens bringing civil rights claims face lower financial barriers to litigation when they can recover attorney's fees; the bill ensures that plaintiffs who achieve real relief—including through preliminary injunctions or defendant concessions—are not penalized by fee denial on technical mootness grounds. This strengthens enforcement of civil rights by making it economically viable for individuals and civil rights organizations to sue.
Who stands to gain
- civil rights plaintiffs and their attorneys
- civil rights organizations and public interest law firms
Named in the bill
Section 722 of the Revised Statutes, civil rights plaintiffs, government agencies, federal courts
Where it stands
- Sep 10, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Sep 10, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,283 characters) on Sep 21, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,522 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-21.
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