PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Sets rules for when a court may use someone’s speech, beliefs, group ties, or expressive actions in criminal cases about violent acts motivated by actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. A court may only use that kind of evidence if it is relevant and allowed under the Federal Rules of Evidence, and the law does not change the existing evidence rules. Protecting free speech and religion is required. The law must not be used to punish people just for what they say or for joining a group that holds certain beliefs. The government cannot burden a person’s religion, speech, or association unless it proves a very strong reason and uses the least restrictive way to do it, and unless the person’s words or actions were meant to plan, prepare, or immediately incite physical violence. Planning, conspiring, or committing violence is not protected by the Constitution.

Title 34, §30506

Navy, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

For purposes of construing this division and the amendments made by this division the following shall apply:

(1)In general

Nothing in this division shall be construed to allow a court, in any criminal trial for an offense described under this division or an amendment made by this division, in the absence of a stipulation by the parties, to admit evidence of speech, beliefs, association, group membership, or expressive conduct unless that evidence is relevant and admissible under the Federal Rules of Evidence. Nothing in this division is intended to affect the existing rules of evidence.

(2)Violent acts

This division applies to violent acts motivated by actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of a victim.

(3)Construction and application

Nothing in this division, or an amendment made by this division, shall be construed or applied in a manner that infringes any rights under the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Nor shall anything in this division, or an amendment made by this division, be construed or applied in a manner that substantially burdens a person’s exercise of religion (regardless of whether compelled by, or central to, a system of religious belief), speech, expression, or association, unless the Government demonstrates that application of the burden to the person is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest, if such exercise of religion, speech, expression, or association was not intended to—

(A)plan or prepare for an act of physical violence; or

(B)incite an imminent act of physical violence against another.

(4)Free expression

Nothing in this division shall be construed to allow prosecution based solely upon an individual’s expression of racial, religious, political, or other beliefs or solely upon an individual’s membership in a group advocating or espousing such beliefs.

(5)First amendment

Nothing in this division, or an amendment made by this division, shall be construed to diminish any rights under the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

(6)Constitutional protections

Nothing in this division shall be construed to prohibit any constitutionally protected speech, expressive conduct or activities (regardless of whether compelled by, or central to, a system of religious belief), including the exercise of religion protected by the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States and peaceful picketing or demonstration. The Constitution of the United States does not protect speech, conduct or activities consisting of planning for, conspiring to commit, or committing an act of violence.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This division, referred to in text, is division E of Pub. L. 111–84, Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2835, known as the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. For complete classification of division E to the Code, see

Short Title

of 2009 Act note set out under section 10101 of this title and Tables. Codification Section was formerly classified as a note under section 249 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

§30506 Rule of Construction