Kennedy introduces bill to protect Americans from ideologically motivated violence

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced the Ideologically Motivated Violence Accountability Act, a bill allowing courts to consider whether a criminal committed their offense to punish others because of their ideological or religious affiliations when deciding whether to impose a capital sentence.

"Political violence has no place in America - period, full stop. But over the past few years, politically motivated violence has shaken our country to its core. Until our justice system sends a clear message to evil people who want to push their agenda through violence, these disgusting acts of hate will continue. My Ideologically Motivated Violence Accountability Act would give prosecutors and courts the tools they need to fight this dangerous and growing epidemic and protect innocent Americans' ability to exercise their constitutional rights," said Kennedy.

Kennedy's bill would add ideological motivation as an aggravating factor during sentencing, allowing prosecutors and courts to more forcefully address the threat that violence targeting victims because of their political or religious affiliations poses to democratic society.

The legislation would define ideologically motivated violence to include crimes that target a victim "wholly or in part because of the victim's actual or perceived political or religious beliefs, affiliation, expression, or activity" or to "make a public statement concerning any political or religious belief, practice, institution, group, ideology, event or public figure."

Kennedy introduced his Ideologically Motivated Violence Accountability Act in the wake of the September 2025 assassination of conservative activist and Turning Point USA Founder and President, Charlie Kirk.

His bill also follows the assassination of former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives Melissa Hortman and assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Full text of the Ideologically Motivated Violence Accountability Act is available here.