H.R. 3815: True Justice Act of 2025 (119th Congress) Bill Summary

This bill, known as the True Justice Act of 2025, aims to improve legal representation for individuals who have been arrested for a criminal offense. Here are the key components of the bill:

Grant Programs for Legal Representation

Public Defender Services Grants: The bill allows the Attorney General to provide grants to states, local governments, and public defender offices. These grants are intended to enhance legal representation for individuals during judicial proceedings that occur after their arrest, including their initial court appearances.
Public Defender Training Grants: The bill also permits grants to states and non-profit organizations for training public defenders, court-appointed attorneys, and contract attorneys. The focus of this training would be on best practices for representing individuals in the specified judicial proceedings.

Application for Grants

Entities that wish to receive grants under this bill must submit an application to the Attorney General. The application process will require specific information, which the Attorney General will outline.

Determining Grant Amounts

When deciding how much to grant each entity, the Attorney General will consider factors such as:

The costs associated with technology and training needed for legal representation or training.
The size of the justice system that the entity is part of, both in comparison to other systems across the United States and within their respective state, or for Tribal organizations, in comparison to their own tribal justice system.

Funding Authorization

The bill authorizes the appropriation of $50,000,000 annually for the fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to facilitate the grant programs outlined in the legislation.

Congressional Statement

The bill expresses that Congress believes in the constitutional right to counsel for individuals after arrest, as established by the Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright. This ensures that individuals have access to legal representation in all post-arrest judicial proceedings.