L.A.'s Reformist D.A. Promised To Eliminate Hate Crime Enhancements—Until Progressive Activists Gave Him a Call
Some progressives are for criminal justice reform only when it's convenient.
Hate crimes
Under a New Law, People Charged With Hate Crimes Are Disproportionately Black and Homeless
An anti-hate ordinance in Columbia, South Carolina, has so far been deployed against the marginalized.
Two People Charged With a Hate Crime for Painting Over a Black Lives Matter Mural
Seeking maximal punishment for a nonviolent offense will not help the Black Lives Matter movement.
No, We Don't Need Harsher Criminal Penalties To Fight the 'Karens' of the World
Politicians appear to have learned all the wrong lessons about over-policing.
The Federal 'Anti-Lynching' Bill Sacrifices Justice for Symbolism
In the name of fighting lynching, the bipartisan bill authorizes 10-year sentences for minor crimes like vandalism.
Oakland 'Nooses' Turn Out To Be Exercise Swings; Mayor Wants To Investigate Them As a Hate Crime Anyway
A white mayor is pursuing a racially fraught investigation of a black man for hanging exercise straps in a park. What could go wrong?
Seattle Police Chief Tells People To Call 911 If They Hear 'Racist Name-Calling'
Don't the authorities have better things to do with their time right now?
Why Libertarian-Leaning Reps. Massie and Amash Voted Against the House's Anti-Lynching Bill
Lynchings are already illegal. But the law would give prosecutors more power—including what amounts to an expansion of the federal death penalty.
DOJ Intervention Dramatically, Irrationally, and Unconstitutionally Increases the Penalty Faced by a Woman Accused of Slapping Jews
How can prosecuting a black woman for slapping Jews in 2020 be authorized by the constitutional amendment that abolished slavery in 1865?
The Justice Department Wades Into New York Bail Reform Fight With Federal Hate Crime Charges Over Slapping
Police and prosecutors want to maintain a system that punishes poor people before they’re ever convicted.
A Year Ago, the Media Mangled the Covington Catholic Story. What Happened Next Was Even Worse.
Journalists and pundits who frantically doubled down on their initial bad takes deserve more criticism.
Are We Experiencing a Nationwide 'Anti-Semitism Crisis'?
Hate crime data suggest that claim is overblown.
New York Charged Grafton Thomas With Attempted Murder for Assaulting Jews With a Machete. Why Are the Feds Prosecuting Him for the Same Attack?
A crime in Monsey leads to a redundant prosecution that hinges on the defendant's anti-Semitism.
McDonald's Coffee Cup Incident Was a Hoax Perpetrated by the Police
The officer responsible has been fired.
The Monsey Attack Shows Anti-Semitic Violence Isn't Always Tied to the Far Right
Many ideological extremes are responsible for anti-Jewish attacks.
A 15-Year Sentence for Burning a Stolen Gay Pride Flag Is Not Justice
Hate crime enhancements meet three-strikes laws, and the consequences are terrible.
Alabama Republicans Now Support Hate Crime Laws—To Protect Police Officers
The state wants to add cops to the list of oppressed classes.
It's Pretty Unlikely the Cadets Were Flashing a White Power Hand Symbol at the Army-Navy Game
This latest social media freakout has prompted a formal military investigation.
Syracuse Students Demand Punishment for Everyone Involved in Racist Speech, Including Bystanders
After a series of alleged hate crimes, activists say they don't feel safe on campus.
Sacha Baron Cohen's Anti-Facebook Rant at the ADL Summit Was Pure Moral Panic
The comedian thinks misleading information on social media is ruining society. That's a bit rich, coming from him.
14-Year-Old Faces Felony Hate Crime Charges for Posting 'Slave for Sale' Craigslist Ad
"Anyone, regardless of age, accused of such disgraceful actions will be charged accordingly."
The Latest Synagogue Shooting Is Not an Excuse To Regulate Livestreams
Violent bigots were targeting Jews long before they could broadcast the carnage.
Democratic Candidates Promise LGBT Voters They'll Punish All the Right People
A Department of Justice lawyer in every pot.
This Obnoxious Drunk's Opinions Could Earn Him an Extra 59 Months Behind Bars
The case vividly illustrates how hate crime laws punish people for the views they express.
No, Trump Rallies Didn't Increase Hate Crimes by 226 Percent
In fact, they didn’t have any detectable impact at all.
Did Trump's 2016 Rallies Trigger a 226% Increase in Local Hate Crimes? Not Exactly.
The study at the source of the viral headline was limited to counting anti-Semitic incidents, many of which were not criminal in nature.
Kamala Harris Promises To 'Disarm Violent Hate' by Seizing Guns From Bigots
The Democratic presidential contender suggests that "racist threats or anti-immigrant manifestos" could justify federal gun confiscation orders.
After El Paso and Dayton Shootings, Threatened Crackdowns on Guns, Immigrants, and Internet Speech
Plus: the trouble with "national conservatism," the decline of the mortgage interest deduction, and more...
The White Nationalist Who Drove His Car Through Charlottesville Protesters Gets Another Life Sentence
James Alex Fields Jr., who killed Heather Heyer in the fatal Charlottesville car attack, is sentenced to life plus 419 years.
Appellate Court Upholds Constitutionality of Federal Hate Crimes Act Conviction Based on the Commerce Clause
The decision is a complicated ruling that potentially sets a dangerous precedent for the scope of federal power under the Constitution.
Did Craig Hicks Murder His Neighbors Because They Were Muslims? Should It Matter Legally?
The debate about whether the killer should have been prosecuted for federal hate crimes shows how the Justice Department targets defendants based on the opinions they express.
I Testified Before Congress About Hate Crimes and the Alt-Right. Here's What Happened.
A hearing on white nationalism produced some agreement that the FBI's hate crime statistics don't reveal strong evidence of a surge.
California Was Ready to Punish This Synagogue Shooter for Murder. The Feds Want to Make Sure He Is Also Punished for Hating Jews.
The federal hate crime charges against John T. Earnest are redundant and constitutionally problematic.
Anti-Semitic Attack on Jewish-Owned Restaurant Is Another Hate Crime Hoax, Cops Say
"We found evidence of a crime. It just wasn't a hate crime."
Kim Foxx, the State's Attorney Who Let Jussie Smollett Go, Has a Lot of Explaining to Do
"A case with the consequential effects of Mr. Smollett's should not be resolved without a finding of guilt or innocence."
The Southern Poverty Law Center Is Both a Terrible Place to Work and a Place That Does Terrible Work
Top executives are departing amidst reports of racial and sexual harassment.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Police Superintendent Still Think Jussie Smollett Is Guilty—and Are Furious He's Going Free
"Where is the accountability in the system?"
Prosecutors Drop All Charges Against Jussie Smollett
The FBI is still investigating, however.
From Momo to Hate Crimes, Skittles Parties, and Sex Trafficking, Fake News Is Clearly a Problem
Fake news is real. Momo is not.
This LGBT Activist's House Was Burned Down. Police Now Suspect He Set the Fire Himself.
Cops arrested Nikki Joly of Jackson, Michigan, for alleged hoax that resulted in the death of his five pets.
America Is Not as Racist as Jussie Smollet's Defenders Fear or White Supremacists Hope
We make a mistake when we think outliers somehow represent who we are as a country.
Stop Letting People Lie to You About Hate Crime and Human Trafficking Spikes
Government statistics often show more reports of both. That doesn't mean either is on the rise.
Chicago Police Now Consider Jussie Smollett a Suspect
CPD: "Jussie Smollett is now officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation."
Jussie Smollett Reminds Us That Some Hate Crimes Are Hoaxes—and the Statistics Are a Mess
As the investigation turns on the Empire star, it's important not to confuse "reality" with "narrative."
Reports Claim Jussie Smollett Allegedly Staged Hate Crime Attack; Police Say News Is 'Unconfirmed, Inaccurate'
Police, Fox contradict local reporters' claims.
Chicago Police Deny Claim That Jussie Smollett Identified Attackers as White, Can't Get Their Story Straight About Whether He Heard Them Say 'MAGA'
Empire star attacked on streets of Chicago late last night.
James Fields Killed Heather Heyer Because of Her Opinions, and Now the Government Is Trying to Do the Same to Him
The federal case against the Charlottesville murderer illustrates how hate crime laws punish people for their bigoted beliefs.
The FBI Says Hate Crimes Rose 17% in 2017, but That Doesn't Mean Things Are Actually Getting Worse
1,000 more agencies submitted data in 2017 vs. 2016, which could account for much of the increase.