Civil Rights Laws

Civil rights are the collective rights of individuals to receive equal and fair treatment under the law, which includes freedom from discrimination in employment. Learn more about the meaning of civil rights in the legal dictionary (no the United States-specific).

the United States civil rights laws generally mirror federal civil rights laws, with a few exceptions, extending the protection (in general, additional protections from discrimination in the United States). This means that the vast majority of civil rights laws in the United States originate at the federal level, most notably the broad protections encoded in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But the United States also protect the civil rights of their residents.

This is an introduction to civil rights laws in the United States. Below you will find the United States-specific laws on civil rights in various different contexts, including applicable statutes of limitations, whether private civil rights actions are permitted, and pertinent code provisions.

Civil Rights Laws and Statutes in the United States

Learn more about the United States's civil rights statutes below. You can also find additional resources and information on this topic by visiting the United States section on Civil Rights here. In that section, you may follow the cross references for state-specific (including the United States) civil rights laws. A list of entries on civil rights in the United States is available here, including the history of civil rights and other topics.