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Court Strips Down Hate-Crimes Law

Pennsylvania
Court Strips Down Hate-Crimes Law

The Pennsylvania supreme court on Wednesday struck down changes to the state's hate-crimes law that added sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, gender, and mental and physical disability to the list of protected characteristics.

The Pennsylvania supreme court on Wednesday struck down changes to the state's hate-crimes law that added sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, gender, and mental and physical disability to the list of protected characteristics, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

The state legislature amended the Ethnic Intimidation and Institutional Vandalism Act in 2002, and the measure was signed into law by Republican governor Mark Schweiker. Christian group Repent America filed a lawsuit challenging the expansion of the law in 2005. The commonwealth court, a lower court, ruled in November 2007 that the amendments were unconstitutional.

According to Equality Advocates Pennsylvania, the supreme court stripped out the additional protections because of the way the measure was passed -- as an alteration of an agricultural bill -- not because of its content. The organization assisted in writing the legislation and worked on getting it through the house and senate. "We are extremely disappointed that some of the most vulnerable people in Pennsylvania are now unprotected by our state's hate crimes law," said Equality Advocates executive director Stacey Sobel in a press release. "I urge the legislature to once again pass this legislation with all deliberate speed." Sobel added that Equality Advocates will work to reinstate the expanded law. (The Advocate)

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