James Shearn
Editor, LegislationPatch
James Shearn is the editor of LegislationPatch. He built the site's source-verification pipeline, which checks every published figure, date, and statutory citation against the official bill text before it ships, and he reviews and verifies each analysis and article before publication.
Elsewhere: github.com/Squidito
How this work is produced
Analyses and guides on LegislationPatch are drafted from primary source documents — official bill text from Congress.gov and GovInfo, roll-call records, and the Congressional Record — by an automated research pipeline built for this site. Nothing published here is written from an AI model's background knowledge: every figure, date, and statutory citation must appear in the fetched source text, and a claim that cannot be tied to a source line is removed rather than softened.
I review, verify, and edit that output before it is published, and I am accountable for what appears on the site. The full process is documented in the methodology, and the division of labour between the pipeline and me is set out in the editorial standards and AI disclosure.
Areas covered
- United States federal legislation
- Congressional procedure
- Federal appropriations
- Legislative process
- Roll-call voting records
- The Congressional Record
Recent work
- 119th Congress Legislation Tracker: Every Bill We're Analyzing Updated August 27, 2026
- Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) 2025: Status, What It Does, and History Updated August 27, 2026
- NDAA FY2027 (H.R. 8800): Passed the House 216–212 — What Happens Next Updated August 27, 2026
- SAVE America Act (H.R. 7296): Status and What It Would Require to Vote Updated August 27, 2026
- What Is the Congressional Review Act? How Congress Overturns a Rule Updated August 19, 2026
- How LegislationPatch Analyzes Federal Bills: Our Methodology Updated August 16, 2026
- What Is a Discharge Petition? How 218 Signatures Force a House Vote Updated August 16, 2026
- What Is Suspension of the Rules? How the House Passes Bills by Two-Thirds Vote Updated August 16, 2026
- E15 Ethanol Year-Round Sales: What the 2025 House Bill Means for Gas Stations Updated July 17, 2026
- FISA Section 702: Complete Extension History Since 2008 Updated July 17, 2026
- FISA Surveillance in 2026: Every Extension Tracked Updated July 17, 2026
- How a Bill Becomes Law in 2026: The Real Process Updated July 17, 2026
Corrections
If something on the site is factually wrong, report it on the public issue tracker. Material factual errors are corrected promptly and logged on the corrections page.