WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) applauded the unanimous Senate passage of the bipartisan Justice for Victims of Lynching Act, a Warner-sponsored bill that would criminalize lynching for the first time in American history. The legislation was introduced by Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), who was joined by her colleagues Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Senator Tim Scott (R-SC).

“The Justice for Victims of Lynching Act is long overdue legislation that finally begins to acknowledge a painful chapter in our history by making lynching a federal crime, ” said Sen. Warner.  “I’m proud of the work Senators Harris, Scott, and Booker did to make pass this legislation through the Senate and honored to be a cosponsor.”

According to data from the Equal Justice Initiative, lynching was used as an instrument of terror and intimidation 4,084 times during the late 19th and 20th centuries. From 1882 to 1986, Congress failed to pass anti-lynching legislation 200 times. 

The Justice for Victims of Lynching Act is supported by the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Equal Justice Initiative.

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