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.
1 On December 18, 2014, the President signed into law H.R. 5739, the No Social Security for Nazis Act, which became Public Law 113-270. 2  The Senate passed the bill on December 4, 2014 without amendment by unanimous consent. 3  The House of Representatives passed the bill on December 2, 2014.