S. 3815 explained · 119th Congress · Pending in Congress
Virginia's Law
Cosponsors: none · per Congress.gov, 2026-10-09
Introduced: 2026-02-10
Latest action (2026-02-10): Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S554-555; text: CR S555)
What S. 3815 does, in plain terms
The Congressional Research Service has not published a summary of S. 3815 yet. Its official title: “Virginia's Law”.
Constitution Index
“VFA Constitution grade”
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S. 3815 has not been graded yet. New measures with an official summary are graded daily under the published rubric.
The Framers
“Founders’ Verdict”
Confidence 0.75
Archived SI output (machine-generated)No editorial review recorded. This historical SI verdict was machine-generated by software and predates the review desk; check it against the official bill text.
Synthesis
The bill exceeds Congress's enumerated powers under Article I, Section 8, encroaching on state police powers over general crime and law enforcement, reserved to the States or the people.
The proposed federal legislation, styled 'Virginia's Law' in the policy area of Crime and Law Enforcement, appears to address general matters of internal order and criminal justice without evident connection to enumerated federal powers. The Constitution grants Congress only specific authorities under Article I, Section 8, such as punishing counterfeiting or piracies, but not a general police power over crimes, which are properly the province of the States. In Federalist No. 17, I explained that the 'ordinary administration of criminal and civil justice' falls to state governments, as national…
The federal legislation styled 'Virginia's Law' in the domain of crime and law enforcement trespasses upon powers not delegated to the general government. The Constitution confines Congress to enumerated powers in Article I, Section 8, which do not encompass general police authority over crimes, a prerogative reserved to the States or the people under the Tenth Amendment. Though named for a sovereign State, it cannot thereby claim federal competence, lest the barriers of the Constitution be eroded.
The proposed federal legislation, denominated 'Virginia's Law' in the domain of crime and law enforcement, appears to encroach upon powers reserved to the States. The Constitution enumerates specific congressional authority over certain crimes, such as treason, piracy, and counterfeiting, but general police powers over crimes within a State pertain to state sovereignty. A federal measure targeting or named after a particular State risks undermining the federal compact by concentrating authority improperly in the general government, contrary to the principles of limited enumeration and divided …
The Congress of the United States holds the authority to enact legislation in the realm of crime and law enforcement, provided such measures are necessary and proper for executing the powers expressly enumerated in the Constitution, such as defining and punishing piracies, felonies on the high seas, offenses against the law of nations, and regulating the armed forces. Absent the full text of 'Virginia's Law,' this Court cannot definitively adjudge its validity under the supremacy of the Constitution, but declares it constitutional insofar as it adheres to these limits and does not usurp powers…
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