Katherine T. Phan, Christian Post: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday tossed out language that expanded the state's hate crime law to include "sexual orientation" and "gender identity." The top state court upheld a November 2007 ruling by the Commonwealth Court, which had struck down the 2002 amendment as unconstitutional because it "did not retain its original purpose as it moved through the enactment process." The Commonwealth Court ruled that the statute violated the state Constitution because it was added to a bill that originally dealt with agricultural crimes. Eleven members of a Christian evangelist group called Repent America were arrested and charged under the expanded "ethnic intimidation" law in 2004 for picketing at a Philadelphia event for homosexuals. Although the charges were later dropped, Repent America director Michael Marcavage and six other members challenged the law. . . . [More details of case]Tags: Hate Crimes Act, Pennsylvania, Supreme Court To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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