Law Commons^™

The Debate Over The Efficacy Of Federal Hate Crime Legislation: A Look At Arlen Specter’S Senatorial Efforts And Its Legacy, Sierra Reddi

Arlen Specter Center Research Fellowship

Bias-motivated violence is considered especially heinous in the United States of America. This research examines the Federal legislation that cements that value into law. Hate crimes are criminal acts where the target was specifically chosen because of their race, sexual orientation, gender expression, ethnicity, or religion. These crimes, whether intentionally or not, have a ripple effect on societal values, and especially spread fear within oppressed minority groups. This research begins by examining the context that precipitated a need for hate crime laws to begin with and then looks at federal developments as a reaction to landmark hate crime cases. One …