Eric Holder

About the author: Eric Holder was Assistant U.S. Attorney General during the Clinton administration.

The Federal Hate Crimes Statute states that crimes motivated by race, color, religion, or national origin are subject to federal jurisdiction. However, this statute is insufficient because it only pertains to hate crime victims participating in a federally protected activity during the attack and does not apply to crimes based on sexual orientation, gender, or disability. Unfortunately, the true scope of these crimes as a growing national problem is just being realized. Hence, it is important that all hate crime victims are equally protected. Legislation should be enacted to expand the definition of hate crimes to include gays, women, and the disabled and fight the epidemic of hate crimes.

The battle against hate crimes has...