Orrin Hatch: “I don't mean to keep interrupting, but as I read that, I can see if what the Senator is after is a hate crime of keeping…”

“I don't mean to keep interrupting, but as I read that, I can see if what the Senator is after is a hate crime of keeping somebody involuntarily in servitude, but I don't know of many of those today. I am sure that may happen. We are talking about all kinds of hate crimes that certainly don't fit within the 13th amendment. If that is the way we are going to get at it, I think that is a very poor way of getting at a resolution for a hate crime problem. Reading again, section 1: Neither slavery-- And I don't know of many instances of slavery in this day and age; in fact, I don't know of any, but there may be some. But we can get them constitutionally, right now, if they do that -- nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Section 2: Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. If there is such a thing, if there is such a hate crime today as slavery, or involuntary servitude not required because of a due conviction, then we have the absolute power today, federally, to go in and prosecute under the Constitution itself under the 13th amendment. Maybe I am missing something, or maybe I just haven't thought it through or I am too tired. I can't see how the 13th amendment provides a nexus whereby the Kennedy amendment becomes constitutional. It doesn't.…”