Leading the Way Against Violent Bigotry
ADL’s model hate crime statute provides for increased penalties for criminals who target their victims because of their personal characteristics, such as race, religion, national origin, gender or sexual orientation. Now, 45 states and the District of Colombia have enacted hate crimes laws based on (or similar to) ADL’s model, and, in 1993, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld such laws, ruling that they did not violate First Amendment rights.
The passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act—the most important, comprehensive and inclusive federal hate crime– is a direct result of ADL’s leadership in this area.
