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Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act Joint Hearing Committee on the Judiciary House of Representatives

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Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act Joint Hearing Committee on the Judiciary House of Representatives EMMETT TILL UNSOLVED CIVIL RIGHTS CRIME ACT JOINT HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND CIVIL LIBERTIES AND THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME, TERRORISM, AND HOMELAND SECURITY OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON H.R. 923 JUNE 12, 2007 Serial No. 110–31 Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://judiciary.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 36–017 PDF WASHINGTON : 2007 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:21 Sep 05, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 H:\WORK\CONST\061207\36017.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan, Chairman HOWARD L. BERMAN, California LAMAR SMITH, Texas RICK BOUCHER, Virginia F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., JERROLD NADLER, New York Wisconsin ROBERT C. SCOTT, Virginia HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina MELVIN L. WATT, North Carolina ELTON GALLEGLY, California ZOE LOFGREN, California BOB GOODLATTE, Virginia SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas STEVE CHABOT, Ohio MAXINE WATERS, California DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California MARTIN T. MEEHAN, Massachusetts CHRIS CANNON, Utah WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts RIC KELLER, Florida ROBERT WEXLER, Florida DARRELL ISSA, California LINDA T. SA´ NCHEZ, California MIKE PENCE, Indiana STEVE COHEN, Tennessee J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia HANK JOHNSON, Georgia STEVE KING, Iowa LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Illinois TOM FEENEY, Florida BRAD SHERMAN, California TRENT FRANKS, Arizona TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas ANTHONY D. WEINER, New York JIM JORDAN, Ohio ADAM B. SCHIFF, California ARTUR DAVIS, Alabama DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Florida KEITH ELLISON, Minnesota PERRY APELBAUM, Staff Director and Chief Counsel JOSEPH GIBSON, Minority Chief Counsel (II) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:21 Sep 05, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 H:\WORK\CONST\061207\36017.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND CIVIL LIBERTIES JERROLD NADLER, New York, Chairman ARTUR DAVIS, Alabama TRENT FRANKS, Arizona DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Florida MIKE PENCE, Indiana KEITH ELLISON, Minnesota DARRELL ISSA, California JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan STEVE KING, Iowa ROBERT C. SCOTT, Virginia JIM JORDAN, Ohio MELVIN L. WATT, North Carolina STEVE COHEN, Tennessee DAVID LACHMANN, Chief of Staff PAUL B. TAYLOR, Minority Counsel SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME, TERRORISM, AND HOMELAND SECURITY ROBERT C. SCOTT, Virginia, Chairman MAXINE WATERS, California J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas JERROLD NADLER, New York F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., HANK JOHNSON, Georgia Wisconsin ANTHONY D. WEINER, New York HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas STEVE CHABOT, Ohio MARTIN T. MEEHAN, Massachusetts DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California ARTUR DAVIS, Alabama TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin BOBBY VASSAR, Chief Counsel MICHAEL VOLKOV, Minority Counsel (III) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:21 Sep 05, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 0486 H:\WORK\CONST\061207\36017.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA VerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:21 Sep 05, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 0486 H:\WORK\CONST\061207\36017.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA C O N T E N T S JUNE 12, 2007 Page THE BILL H.R. 923, the ‘‘Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act’’ ........................... 2 OPENING STATEMENT The Honorable Jerrold Nadler, a Representative in Congress from the State of New York, and Chairman, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties .................................................................................. 1 The Honorable Trent Franks, a Representative in Congress from the State of Arizona, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties .................................................................................. 12 The Honorable John Conyers, Jr., a Representative in Congress from the State of Michigan, Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, and Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary ....... 13 The Honorable Howard Coble, a Representative in Congress from the State of North Carolina, and Member, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security ............................................................................................... 14 The Honorable Louie Gohmert, a Representative in Congress from the State of Texas, and Member, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security ................................................................................................................. 15 The Honorable Robert C. Scott, a Representative in Congress from the State of Virginia, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Home- land Security ........................................................................................................ 15 The Honorable Steve Chabot, a Representative in Congress from the State of Ohio, and Member, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security ................................................................................................................. 16 WITNESSES Ms. Grace Chung Becker, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 17 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 19 Ms. Myrlie Evers-Williams, Bend, OR Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 39 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 42 G. Douglas Jones, Esquire, Birmingham, AL Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 43 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 45 Mr. J. Richard Cohen, President and Chief Executive Officer, Southern Pov- erty Law Center, Montgomery, AL Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 52 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 53 Rita L. Bender, Esquire, Skellenger Bender, Seattle, WA Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 57 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 59 Mr. Alvin Sykes, President, Emmett Till Justice Campaign Inc., Kansas City, MO Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 61 (V) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:21 Sep 05, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 H:\WORK\CONST\061207\36017.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA VI Page APPENDIX Material Submitted for the Hearing Record .......................................................... 81 VerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:21 Sep 05, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 H:\WORK\CONST\061207\36017.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA EMMETT TILL UNSOLVED CIVIL RIGHTS CRIME ACT TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 2007 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND CIVIL LIBERTIES, AND THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME, TERRORISM, AND HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, Washington, DC. The Subcommittees met, pursuant to notice, at 10:18 a.m., in Room 2141, Rayburn House Office Building, the Honorable Jerrold Nadler (Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties) presiding. Present: Representatives Nadler, Conyers, Scott, Jackson Lee, Waters, Cohen, Davis, Ellison, Sensenbrenner, Coble, Chabot, Lun- gren, Franks, and Gohmert. Staff Present: David Lachman, Chief of Staff; Keenan Keller, Ma- jority Counsel; Susana Gutierrez, Professional Staff Member, Sub- committee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties; Bobby Vassar, Chief Counsel, Rachel King, Majority Counsel; and Veronica Eligan, Professional Staff Member, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. Mr. NADLER. Good morning. This hearing of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, and the Sub- committee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security will come to order. I should say this joint hearing will come to order. Today’s hearing will review legislation introduced by our colleague, the gen- tleman from Georgia, Mr. Lewis, designed to address unsolved crimes from the civil rights era. The Chair now recognizes himself for an opening statement. Today, the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties and the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security jointly consider H.R. 923, the ‘‘Emmett Till Un- solved Civil Rights Crime Act,’’ introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Lewis. [The bill, H.R. 923, follows:] (1) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:21 Sep 05, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 H:\WORK\CONST\061207\36017.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA 2 I 110TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 923 To establish an Unsolved Crimes Section in the Civil Rights Division
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