Bipolar disorder, which used to be called manic depressive illness or manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by wide mood swings from high (manic) to low (depressed). Periods of high or irritable mood are called manic episodes.
James Byrd, Jr. was not engaged in a federally-protected activity when he was lynched and killed. The Matthew Shepard Act expanded the 1969 Federal Hate Crime Law to cover these and other types of brutal murders.
Hereâs a look back at some of the bigger developments in the fight for passage of federal hate crimes legislation. 1989 | 1990 | 1993 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009.