Newly Expanded 'Hate Crimes' Legislation Presupposes Thought and is a Federal Power Grab

Not only does the current expansion of Hate Crimes legislation signed into law by President Obama on Wednesday, October 28th, allow for the prosecution of individuals based upon a presumption of their thoughts at the time of a crime, it also expands the powers of the Federal government. In signing the bill, Obama vowed to “help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray or who they are.”

But in so doing, Obama has acted to broaden the powers of the federal government into an area of enforcement that already exists under state civil and criminal laws thereby contributing to the erosion of state and local roles in governance, and ultimately removing power from the individual (see here for more on Constitutional powers and the federal vs. state governments).