Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007
The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007 was enacted to see if some measure of justice could be achieved for the long-ignored victims of racial violence. The Act established an Unsolved Crimes Section in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and an Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Investigative Office in the Civil Rights Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to expeditiously investigate unsolved civil rights murders that occurred on or before Dec. 31, 1969.
The primary sponsor of the bill was Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia). The bill was introduced on February 8, 2007, and had 83 cosponsors — 80 Democrats, 3 Republicans — plus its sponsor. The bill was enacted 20 months later after being signed by President George W. Bush on October 7, 2008.