Despite playing a character being accused of murder motivated by gay hatred, Robin Lord Taylor is in fact gay.
The Matthew Shepard Act that ADA Mike Cutter mentions to the defendant, where he states he will see that the defendant is prosecuted in federal court as well, is referring to a bill passed by Congress on October 22, 2009 and signed into law by President Obama on October 28, 2009. The entire name of the bill is The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and came about in response to the murders of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. and expands the 1969 U.S. federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. This means that under this law that anyone involved in "gay bashing" can now face federal charges because it is a hate-crime, just like going after someone of the opposite race, religion, or disability.
L.A.G.L.A. stands for the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association.