III 

Calendar No. 543 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 396 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the hanging of nooses for the 

purpose of intimidation should be thoroughly investigated by Federal, 

State, and local law enforcement authorities and that any criminal violations should be vigorously prosecuted. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 7, 2007 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. HATCH, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. SPECTER, Mrs. CLINTON, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. OBAMA, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. 

BIDEN, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. COBURN, 

and Mr. KOHL) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on the Judiciary 

DECEMBER 13, 2007 

Reported by Mr. LEAHY, with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble and an amendment to the title 

[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the hanging of 

nooses for the purpose of intimidation should be thoroughly investigated by Federal, State, and local law enforcement authorities and that any criminal violations 

should be vigorously prosecuted. 


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•SRES 396 RS 

Whereas, in the fall of 2007, nooses have been found hanging 

in or near a high school in North Carolina, a Home 

Depot store in New Jersey, a school playground in Louisiana, the campus of the University of Maryland, a factory in Houston, Texas, and on the door of a professor’s 

office at Columbia University; 

Whereas the Southern Poverty Law Center has recorded between 40 and 50 suspected hate crimes involving nooses 

since September 2007; 

Whereas, since 2001, the Equal Employment Opportunity 

Commission has filed more than 30 lawsuits that involve 

the displaying of nooses in places of employment; 

Whereas nooses are reviled by many Americans as symbols of 

racism and of lynchings that were once all too common; 

Whereas, according to Tuskegee Institute, more than 4,700 

people were lynched between 1882 and 1959 in a campaign of terror led by the Ku Klux Klan; 

Whereas the number of victims killed by lynching in the history of the United States exceeds the number of people 

killed in the horrible attack on Pearl Harbor (2,333 

dead) and Hurricane Katrina (1,836 dead) combined; 

and 

Whereas African-Americans, as well as Italian, Jewish, and 

Mexican-Americans, have comprised the vast majority of 

lynching victims, and only when we erase the terrible 

symbols of the past can we finally begin to move forward 

on issues of race in the United States: Now, therefore, 

be it 

Whereas, in the fall of 2007, nooses have been found hanging 

in or near a high school in North Carolina, a Home Depot 

store in New Jersey, a school playground in Louisiana, the 


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•SRES 396 RS 

campus of the University of Maryland, a factory in Houston, Texas, and on the door of a professor’s office at Columbia University; 

Whereas the Southern Poverty Law Center has recorded between 40 and 50 suspected hate crimes involving nooses 

since September 2007; 

Whereas, since 2001, the Equal Employment Opportunity 

Commission has filed more than 30 lawsuits that involve 

the displaying of nooses in places of employment; 

Whereas nooses are reviled by many Americans as symbols of 

racism and of lynchings that were once all too common; 

Whereas, according to Tuskegee Institute, more than 4,700 people were lynched between 1882 and 1959 in a campaign 

of terror led by the Ku Klux Klan; 

Whereas the number of victims killed by lynching in the history of the United States exceeds the number of people 

killed in the horrible attack on Pearl Harbor (2,333 dead) 

and Hurricane Katrina (1,836 dead) combined; and 

Whereas African-Americans, as well as Italian, Jewish, and 

Mexican-Americans, have comprised the vast majority of 

lynching victims, and, by erasing the terrible symbols of 

the past, we can continue to move forward on issues of 

race in the United States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) the hanging of nooses is a reprehensible act 

3 when used for the purpose of intimidation and, 

4 under certain circumstances, can be criminal; 


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•SRES 396 RS 

1 (2) the hanging of nooses for the purpose of in2 timidation should be investigated thoroughly by Fed3 eral, State, and local law enforcement; and 

4 (3) any criminal violations involving the hang5 ing of nooses should be vigorously prosecuted. 

6 That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

7 (1) the hanging of nooses is a reprehensible act 

8 when used for the purpose of intimidation and, under 

9 certain circumstances, can be criminal; 

10 (2) incidents involving the hanging of a noose 

11 should be investigated thoroughly by Federal, State, 

12 and local law enforcement, and all private entities 

13 and individuals should be encouraged to cooperate 

14 with any such investigation; and 

15 (3) any criminal violations involving the hang16 ing of nooses should be vigorously prosecuted. 

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘Expressing the sense 

of the Senate that the hanging of nooses should be thoroughly investigated by Federal, State, and local law enforcement authorities and that any criminal violations 

should be vigorously prosecuted.’’. 


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Calendar No. 543 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 396 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the hangprosecuted. that any criminal violations should be vigorously State, and local law enforcement authorities and should be thoroughly investigated by Federal, ing of nooses for the purpose of intimidation 

DECEMBER 13, 2007 

Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble and an amendment to the title 


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