On October 28th 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law. This book provides an overview of the hate crime debate, with background on current law and hate crime statistics, and a legislative history of hate crime prevention bills in recent Congresses.

Contains edited, excerpted and augmented editions of CRS reports.

Hate crime legislation / William J. Krouse -- State statutes governing hate crimes / Alison M. Smith, Cassandra L. Foley -- Constitutional limits on hate crime legislation / Alison M. Smith -- Burning crosses, hangman's nooses, and the like : state statutes that proscribe the use of symbols of fear and violence with the intent to threaten / Kathleen Ann Ruane, Charles Doyle.