About Civil Rights Law

Civil Rights Basics

The term "civil rights" encompasses many different laws and ideas, thus is is useful to begin with a basic overview of the concept of civil rights generally. What are civil rights? Where do civil rights come from? What recourse to citizens have when their rights are violated? This overview will begin to provide the answers to these basic questions. Below you will find links to the different sections within FindLaw's overview of the legal concepts of civil rights and unlawful discrimination, links to key federal laws and U.S. Supreme Court cases on civil rights, and much more.

Racial discrimination occurs when an individual is subjected to unequal treatment because of their actual or perceived race. This section offers in-depth information on unlawful racial discrimination in a number of settings -- including employment and education -- and provides links to key federal laws and U.S. Supreme Court decisions related to unlawful racial discrimination.

• Civil Rights Basics – Background information on civil rights and unlawful discrimination, including historical timeline of key events in U.S. history.
• Race Discrimination – Information on unlawful race discrimination in housing, education, employment, voting, and more.
• Gender Discrimination – Information on unlawful gender (sex)discrimination in housing, education, and employment, including equal pay discrimination and pregnancy discrimination.
• Disability Discrimination – Information and resources for disabled persons involving employment, public accommodations, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Employment Discrimination – An overview of workplace discrimination and harassment, including tips on how to file an EEOC claim.

•  Housing Discrimination – Information on housing discrimination, including laws on fair housing, renter's protection, and HUD resources.
•  Enforcing Your Civil Rights – Information on what to do if your civil rights have been violated, including tips on filing a civil rights lawsuit or consumer complaint.
• Find a Civil Rights Lawyer in Your Area – Quick access to civil rights lawyers by state, county, metro, or city for immediate assistance with a potential civil rights violation case.
• Civil Rights: More Topics – Information and resources on a number of additional civil rights topics, including age discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, and police misconduct.
• Civil Rights Laws and Resources – Links to civil rights laws, government agencies, and more.