Department of Justice Manuals Concerning
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title VI Legal Manual
This manual provides an overview of the legal principles that govern
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It is an abstract of the general
principles and issues that concern Federal agency enforcement, and does
not and is not intended to provide a complete, comprehensive directory of
all cases or issues related to Title VI. For example, this manual does not
address all issues associated with private enforcement of Title VI. The
manual cites not only cases interpreting Title VI, but Title IX and
Section 504 as well. However while statutory interpretations of these laws
overlap, they are not fully consistent, and this manual should not be
considered to be an overview of any statute other than Title VI.
HTML version (227K)
PDF Version (308K) Requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader
Investigation Procedures Manual For The Investigation And
Resolution Of Complaints Alleging Violations Of Title VI
And Other Nondiscrimination Statutes
This manual provides guidance on the investigation of complaints by
recipients of Federal financial assistance. It is designed primarily for
investigating complaints alleging violations of Title VI. However, its
general investigative guidance may be applied to investigating complaints
of discrimination under other grant related nondiscrimination statutes as
well. This manual contains detailed discussion of the various aspects of
complaint processing and resolution, however it is only guidance. For
example, the manual suggests timeframes for completion of various tasks of
the investigative process. These are only suggestions, and any timeframe
contained in a program-specific statute or implementing regulation of any
agency would be controlling. The Civil Rights Division hopes to update these manuals from time to time to reflect significant changes in the law. We will post periodic updates to the manuals on the Internet.
Because of the size of the complaint manual, the appendices have been included as separate files in both the HTML and PDF versions. Links within the main body of the manual in both versions may be used to access the appendices. In addition, a separate download page for the PDF version of the manual is available for users who wish to work with the documents off-line. Finally, zipped versions of the entire documents are available at the last two links.
Complaint Investigation Procedures Manual (HTML version) (280K) (Tab 26 is now available in HTML format. December 18, 1998.) Appendices are not part of this file but may be accessed from links within the file.
Complaint Investigation Procedures Manual (PDF version) (400K) Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader Appendices are not part of this file but may be accessed from links within the file.
Download Page for the PDF version of the Manual and Appendices
Complaint Investigation Procedures Manual (entire HTML version, including appendices, in a zip file) (271K)
Complaint Investigation Procedures Manual (entire PDF version, including appendices, in a zip file) (9,623K)
In using these manuals, remember they are intended only to provide
guidance to Federal agencies and other interested entities, and are not
intended to, do not, and may not be relied upon to create any right or
benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or equity by any
party against the United States.
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Updated July 25, 2008
