Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) and members of the House Sharia-Free America Caucus unveiled on Wednesday the Preserving Our Constitution Act of 2026, which would bar federal courts from recognizing or enforcing foreign or religious law when it conflicts with rights protected by the U.S. Constitution.
The bill would prohibit federal courts from recognizing foreign judgments based on legal systems deemed “incompatible” with constitutional protections and would prevent judges from dismissing cases in favor of foreign courts that do not afford litigants due process and equal protection.
Under the legislation, incompatible legal systems are those that permit practices such as discrimination based on sex or religion, forced or child marriage, female genital mutilation, polygamy, religiously motivated violence and punishments barred by the Eighth Amendment.
A spokesperson for Self said the measure is closely modeled on the American Laws for American Courts Act, drafted principally by David Yerushalmi, an Orthodox Jewish attorney and co-founder of the American Freedom Law Center. Similar laws have been enacted in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina.
The announcement came two days after the caucus, founded by Self and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), stated that its membership had grown to 68 lawmakers from 25 states.
