Overview
- The bipartisan SACRED Act, introduced Friday by Reps. Tom Suozzi and Max Miller, would set a 100-foot zone around religious sites with an eight-foot no-approach rule for anyone who tries to intimidate or obstruct worshippers.
- The proposal permits peaceful picketing and leafleting, and its eight-foot “floating” approach limit mirrors a Colorado model previously upheld by the Supreme Court.
- Sponsors say constitutional scholar Erwin Chemerinsky reviewed the bill to ensure it targets harassment and obstruction rather than the content of protest speech.
- The bill pairs crimes with civil remedies, allowing the Justice Department, state attorneys general, and victims to bring cases, with escalating penalties that can reach up to 10 years in prison if injuries occur.
- The measure follows a rise in confrontational protests outside synagogues and other sites since Oct. 7, 2023, draws support from groups including the ADL, AJC, Orthodox Union, Hadassah, the Hindu American Foundation, and the Islamic Society of North America, and arrives as New York City moves ahead with its own worship-site buffer while civil-liberties groups challenge similar local laws.