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Washington, DC – Today, Liberty Counsel delivered more than 100,000 petitions from people across America, opposing the so-called Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. The petitions were delivered on the day that President Barack Obama’s Attorney General, Eric Holder, was scheduled to testify in favor of the Hate Crimes bill. If passed, this expansive bill would give “actual or perceived” “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” the same federal protection as race. 

In a pleasant turn of events, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has sent a letter to President Obama and Senate leaders, urging them to vote against the Hate Crimes bill. The letter states: “We believe that [the Hate Crimes bill] will do little good and a great deal of harm. […] We regard the broad federalization of crime as a menace to civil liberties.” The letter continues: “While the title of [the bill] suggests that it will apply only to ‘hate crimes,’ the actual criminal prohibitions contained in it do not require that the defendant be inspired by hatred or ill will in order to convict.” The Commission is composed of eight Commissioners, four appointed by the President and four by Congress. The Commission investigates discrimination and violations of civil rights and acts as a clearinghouse for such information.

The Commission points out that the bill would allow the federal government to prosecute people who have long since been acquitted in state court. It would permit the federal government to reach far back in time to reprosecute the Rodney King case, along with every rape case. The federal government would become the local police force under this bill.

Although the bill is named after Matthew Shepard, an investigative report of ABC’s “20/20” in 2004 stated: “The story garnered national attention when the attack was characterized as a hate crime. But Shepard’s killers, in their first interview since their convictions, tell ‘20/20’s’ Elizabeth Vargas that money and drugs motivated their actions that night, not hatred of gays.” Naming a bill after a false hate crime speaks volumes for the absurdity of this bill.

Mathew Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: “Hate crimes laws will not be used to punish the perpetrators but will be used to silence people of faith, religious groups, clergy, and those who support traditional moral values. Hate crimes laws are actually ‘thought crimes’ laws. The bill would enormously expand federal government intrusion into state affairs and private life.”