Matthew Lawrence Perna Act of 2025

This bill protects individuals charged with nonviolent political protests by preventing pretrial detention for such offenses (unless involving violence), requiring faster trials, and allowing lawsuits for wrongful detention. It also restricts government use of national security powers against U.S. citizens unless they act as foreign agents, mandates disclosure of surveillance investigations upon citizen request, and gives defendants in D.C. trials the right to choose their trial location. Key provisions directly affect people arrested for peaceful protest activities, aiming to limit government overreach in such cases. The bill does not change sentencing guidelines but emphasizes judges should follow standard sentencing ranges for these offenses.