Pittsburgh Legal Newslog:Hate Crime Legislation Enacted.

Posted By Cliff Tuttle | October 24, 2009

Posted by Cliff Tuttle (c) 2009

Summary: The Matthew Shepard James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act has been enacted by Congress and will be signed by the President. It expands the definition of a hate crime to include sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability.

The Senate has passed the Matthew Shepard James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act which expands the scope of federal hate crime prosecution assistance to state prosecutors. If the state is unwilling or unable to prosecute, the federal prosecutors may prosecute directly. Under the legislation, hate crime prosecutions are expanded to include sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability. The legislation, which was previously passed by the House, was enacted as a rider to a defense appropriations bill. It will be signed by the President, who has expressed support.

The legislation was named for the victims of hate crimes in two infamous cases. Shepard was tortured and murdered in 1998 while attending college in Wyoming because of his sexual orientation. The Matthew Shepard Foundation was formed by his parents and the passage of this legislation has been a major goal of the Foundation. Byrd was a black man dragged around the streets of a Texas town while chained to a truck.

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CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

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