FEDERALcongressional record

Proposed Increase to Federal Court 'Amount in Controversy' Requirement

Original title: Text of Senate Amendment 6226

June 24, 2026

federal courts civil litigation inflation judicial procedure

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The Frame

What this does

This amendment would change the minimum financial value of a legal dispute required for a plaintiff to bring a case in federal court, potentially shifting more civil litigation to state courts.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Civil litigants

Plaintiffs seeking to file civil lawsuits in federal court would face a higher financial threshold to establish jurisdiction.

Federal district courts

The courts would see changes to the types of cases that meet the jurisdictional requirements for federal filing.

What changed

Last recorded activity June 24, 2026.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

Senate Amendment 6226 proposes raising the minimum financial threshold required to file certain civil cases in federal district courts from $75,000 to $150,000. The amendment also establishes a mechanism for automatic, inflation-based adjustments to this threshold every ten years starting in 2030.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 'amount in controversy'?

It is the minimum dollar value of a legal claim required for a case to be heard in a federal district court rather than a state court.

How often will this amount change if the amendment passes?

The threshold would be adjusted every ten years, starting on January 1, 2030.

Why It Matters

This amendment would change the minimum financial value of a legal dispute required for a plaintiff to bring a case in federal court, potentially shifting more civil litigation to state courts.

News Coverage

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Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Automatic Inflation Indexing

The amendment moves away from static jurisdictional thresholds by mandating automatic, CPI-based adjustments every decade.

Administrative Office of the United States Courts

Connected Entities

organizationAdministrative Office of the United States Courts“Responsible for calculating and publishing the adjusted dollar amounts.”Map →

personMr. Kennedy“U.S. Senator who submitted the amendment.”Map →

organizationDepartment of Labor“Agency responsible for publishing the Consumer Price Index used for adjustments.”Map →

personMr. Cruz“U.S. Senator who co-sponsored the amendment.”Map →

personMr. Whitehouse“U.S. Senator who co-sponsored the amendment.”Map →

personMr. Coons“U.S. Senator who co-sponsored the amendment.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy40
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz10
Current news / social attention level

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