- Stage
- In committee
- Started in
- House
- Sponsors
- 22
- Latest action
- Jul 23, 2025
What it does
The Restoring Artistic Protection Act of 2025 (RAP Act) would amend the Federal Rules of Evidence to generally prohibit the use of a defendant’s creative or artistic expression—such as music, poetry, or visual art—as evidence against them in criminal or civil cases. The bill allows such evidence to be admitted only if the government proves, by clear and convincing evidence in a hearing outside the jury’s presence, that the expression was intended literally, directly relates to the alleged facts of the case, is relevant to a disputed issue, and offers distinct probative value not available from other evidence. If admitted, the court must redact the expression to limit its scope and provide…
No official summary is available here. This one was written by AI from the bill’s text.
Where it stands
Introduced (Done)
Committee (Current step)
Floor (Not started)
Law (Not started)
What moved
Who is involved
Sponsors
The lawmakers who put their names on it, lead sponsors first.
- Henry Johnson
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- André Carson
- Ayanna Pressley
- Bennie Thompson
- Dan Goldman
- Delia Ramirez
- Frederica Wilson
- James McGovern
- Jasmine Crockett
- Judy Chu
- LaMonica McIver
- Maxwell Frost
- Melanie Stansbury
- Nikema Williams
- Pramila Jayapal
- Rashida Tlaib
- Sean Casten
- Shri Thanedar
- Sydney Kamlager-Dove
- Ted Lieu
- Terri Sewell
In the news
Reporting that may mention this subject. Possible matches are labeled.
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Where it goes next
While a bill can still move, the questions are about people and money.