Georgia Court Throws Out Hate Crimes Law
By KRISTEN WYATT
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA (AP) – The Georgia Supreme Court unanimously struck down the state’s hate crimes law Monday, saying the measure is so broadly worded that it could even be used to prosecute a rabid sports for picking on somebody wearing a rival team’s cap.
The 7-0 ruling came in the case of a white man and woman convicted of beating two black men in Atlanta.
It was the first application of the 2000 law, which called for up to five extra years in prison for crimes in which the victim is chosen because of “bias or prejudice.”