Published Jun 26, 2026, 11:14 AM EDT
The bipartisan legislation if enacted would allow military personnel to file civil claims, pushing back against a 1950 SCOTUS precedent.
New bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate would help active-duty military and veterans who experienced sexual abuse or harassment get legal justice against the United States. The Military Sexual Trauma Accountability Act introduced Thursday by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, and John Kennedy (R-La.), would permit military service members and veterans to bring civil claims against the nation for negligence that contributed to military sexual trauma over the course of their service. “In recent years, Congress has taken meaningful steps to help empower service members to report instances of sexual assault and harassment," Shaheen said in a statement. "But in order to build on that progress and root out the negligence that has allowed for sexual harassment and assault to thrive in our military, survivors must be able to pursue every possible avenue for legal recourse. “It makes no sense that civilians can seek justice from the government when the warriors who have sacrificed everything to protect our nation cannot. Our landmark legislation would right this wrong by tearing down the barriers that prevent members of the military and veterans from engaging the justice system to demand accountability and finally begin to heal.”
