Federal law bans protests within 100 feet of churches during worship.
S. 5289 — Right to Worship Act · Filed by Ted Cruz (R-TX) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Aug 6, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
The bill makes it a federal crime to disrupt worship. It also bans blocking people from entering a church. The ban covers a 100-foot zone around the entrance. It runs from one hour before worship starts to one hour after it ends. People who break this rule face fines of $2,500 for a first offense. Repeat offenses can bring fines up to $10,000. Churches can sue violators for up to $5,000 per violation. The U.S. Attorney General and state attorneys general can also sue.
Who it affects
The bill affects people who want to protest near churches during worship hours. It affects churches and faith groups, who gain the power to sue. It affects the U.S. Attorney General and state attorneys general, who can enforce the law.
One thing to notice
The bill defines 'disrupt' as conduct that 'meaningfully interferes' with worship. This broad meaning might capture peaceful speech and gathering on sidewalks near churches. The bill lets churches and people sue protesters for money. This shifts enforcement from the government to private parties.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
3 cosponsors: 2 Republicans, 1 Democrats.
- Aug 6, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Aug 6, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- disrupt — to interfere with or interrupt something, like a worship service
- Attorney General — the top law officer for the federal government or a state
- violators — people who break a law or rule
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (6,640 characters) on Oct 17, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 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 2026-10-20.
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