Legal experts specializing in civil rights stated on Monday that federal prosecutors are unlikely to pursue charges against George Zimmerman, a white and Hispanic man who was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager. The jury in Sanford, Florida found Zimmerman not guilty, as his defense argued that he shot Martin in self-defense. In both state and federal courts, a criminal conviction requires guilt to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury or judge. The jury's verdict indicated that they did not believe Zimmerman acted with malice or racial bias when he shot Martin. Attorney General Eric Holder stated that the Justice Department has not yet made a decision on whether to pursue federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman. The case involving Martin is seen as an opportunity for the federal government to enforce civil rights, similar to past cases such as the Rodney King beating and the Sean Bell shooting. Al Sharpton and other preachers planned to hold a news conference to push for Zimmerman's prosecution, believing he racially profiled Martin before fatally shooting him. The federal prosecutors would potentially use a hate crimes law passed in 2009 to charge Zimmerman. It is necessary for prosecutors to demonstrate that someone caused physical harm to another person "due to the actual or perceived race" of the victim, a requirement that is clear but can be difficult to prove. Showing the perpetrator's mindset is the challenging aspect, as the statute mandates that there was a racial motive and the defendant was thinking in racial terms, according to William Yeomans, a former Justice Department civil rights lawyer. Typically, the government presents evidence like the attacker's immediate use of racial slurs or a history of planning to target a specific race, as stated by Samuel Bagenstos, who worked in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division under President Barack Obama. Bagenstos explained, "In these types of cases, defendants often make statements during the attack that explicitly reference the victim's race. This constitutes stronger evidence than what has been presented against Zimmerman so far." Before the incident with Martin, Zimmerman mentioned to a police dispatcher that Martin "looks black" only after being asked about his race. A juror from Zimmerman's state trial stated to CNN that she believed Zimmerman did not racially profile Martin. She mentioned that race was not a factor in their decision. Unlike the beating of King by Los Angeles police officers, there is no video evidence of the encounter. The Justice Department used the video footage heavily in the federal trial of the officers after they were acquitted of state charges. Prosecutors carefully examined the baton strikes against King, focusing on those that occurred after he was already subdued in the video. The second jury convicted two officers, which helped to ease tensions in the racially charged climate in the US, which had led to riots. Wayne Budd, who oversaw the prosecution of the officers, expressed doubts about proving racial bias in Zimmerman's case based on the evidence available. Terree Bowers, the US attorney in Los Angeles during the second trial, mentioned that prosecutors were able to improve their case the second time around. He expressed uncertainty about the Justice Department's ability to take action against Zimmerman and mentioned the challenges they would face in proving racial motivation. Holder, who is the chief US law enforcement official and was appointed by Obama, discussed the high bar required to bring federal charges in the case of Martin's death. The Justice Department also acknowledged the difficulties prosecutors encounter due to limited civil rights laws. One benefit for prosecutors is that the hate-crimes law was changed in 2009 to remove the need to prove a connection between the crime and a federally protected activity. A Justice Department spokesperson did not confirm on Monday whether prosecutors had called a federal grand jury to review evidence on Zimmerman, which would suggest increased action on their part.