Georgia will remain one of five states without a hate crimes law. - Legislature makes no move to reinstate hate crimes law.

Georgia's hate crimes legislation was passed five years ago after a close, contentious debate. The legislataion was intended to set tougher penalties for people who target victims because of race, religion or sexual orientation.

But the legislation passed in 2000 wasn't so limited in its wording, leading the Georgia Supreme Court to strike it down, saying the law could be applied to every possible prejudice, "no matter how obscure, whimsical or unrelated to the victim."

Georgia's law was the nation's only law not to specify which groups were covered, instead vaguely including any crime motivated by "bias or prejudice."

In striking down the law, the Supreme Court in an unanimous opinion noted that a more refined law would probably pass legal muster, in effect, inviting the Legislature to fix the legislation so it would pass judicial muster.

Despite some assurances from black legislators that a new hate crimes law would be a top priority in the 2005 legislative session, apparently there was too much going on to get to it.

The inaction means Georgia will remain one of five states without a hate crimes law, at least for another year.

"I'd hate to say it was forgotten. It was just something we didn't push in the first week and the second week, and then legislators got bogged down with other things," said Rep. Tyrone Brooks, D-Atlanta . . . .

The law's original sponsor -- Democratic Sen. Vincent Fort of Atlanta -- said black lawmakers have been too busy fighting other battles in the first Republican-controlled Legislature in modern history.

"A lot of my time has been engaged in playing defense, preventing bad things from happening," said Fort . . .

Some black lawmakers worry that if the hate crimes bill barely passed under Democratic control, it stands less of a chance now. In the first debate, two vocal opponents to the bill are now the top-ranking lawmakers in both chambers - Republicans Glenn Richardson (House Speaker) and Eric Johnson (President Pro Tem of the Senate).

(3-26-05 AP article by Kristen Wyatt.)