In 1997, the proposed Hate Crimes Prevention Act was introduced into the U.S. Senate. This act would allow the federal government to prosecute violent crimes motivated by prejudice against a person’s sexual orientation, gender, or disability; it would also facilitate the government’s punishment of any violent crime inspired by bigotry. The sponsors of the bill, Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Arlen Specter, maintain that bias-motivated crimes should fall under federal jurisdiction because unlike random assaults, they can damage entire communities or the nation as a whole.The Anti-Defamation League, an organization that opposes bigotry against Jews and other minorities, agrees: “The damage done by hate crimes cannot be measured solely in terms of physical injury or dollars and cents....By making members of minority communities fearful, angry, and suspicious of other groups—and...