Congressman Keith Self Introduces Bill to Protect U.S. Constitution from Sharia Law Ahead of America’s 250th Anniversary

Congressman Keith Self (TX-03) introduced the Preserving Our Constitution Act, a bill ensuring that courts and adjudicative bodies in the United States do not recognize or enforce foreign laws, religious laws, customs, or practices that conflict with the Constitution of the United States and the laws made pursuant to it.

The Preserving Our Constitution Act is built upon the successful framework established by the American Laws for American Courts legislation enacted in numerous states across the country. These state laws were adopted to ensure fundamental liberties cannot be undermined through the application of parallel legal systems that conflict with the Constitution. Now it is time the federal government takes the same stance.

"The Constitution is the supreme law of the land," said Congressman Self. "Any legal or political doctrine that places itself above the Constitution threatens the stability and unity of the nation, and that's exactly what Shaira Law does. The rule of law requires one standard that applies to every person. The Constitution provides that standard. Allowing any competing legal system would erode the authority of the courts, weaken the protection of individual rights, and fracture our country."

Cosponsors: Reps. Eli Crane (AZ-02), Clay Fuller (GA-14), Scott Perry (PA-10), Paul Gosar (AZ-09), Barry Moore (AL-01), and Pat Harrigan (NC-10).

The Preserving Our Constitution Act will:

• Prohibit federal courts and adjudicative entities from recognizing or enforcing foreign or religious laws, customs, or practices that conflict with the Constitution or federal law.
• Prevent courts from enforcing contracts that require disputes to be governed by incompatible foreign or religious legal systems, agreements forcing parties into foreign tribunals that do not provide constitutional protections, foreign court decisions based on laws inconsistent with fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.
• Reinforce fundamental American liberties by identifying practices incompatible with constitutional principles including forced or underage marriage, polygamy, female genital mutilation, restrictions on speech, religion, or religious conversion, discriminatory treatment based on sex, religion, ethnicity, or caste, and cruel or unusual punishments prohibited under the Eighth Amendment.
• Ensure Constitutional protections in international litigation by preventing courts from dismissing cases in favor of foreign jurisdictions unless those jurisdictions provide sufficient due process and equal protection safeguards.

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