Civil Rights Division

Civil Rights Division Organizational Chart

History

The Civil Rights Act of 1957 created the Civil Rights Division and, at its head, the Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. The Civil Rights Division was established on December 9, 1957, by the order of Attorney General William P. Rogers. Passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act expanded the Civil Rights Division’s authority into prohibiting discrimination in public facilities, places of public accommodation, employment, and schools.

Mission

The Civil Rights Division protects the civil and constitutional rights of all people in this country, enforcing the Constitution and federal laws of the United States in pursuit of our founding ideals – fundamental fairness, equal justice, and equal opportunity for all. 

To achieve our mission, we strive to advance three key principles:

• Protect the most vulnerable among us by ensuring that all in America can live free from fear of exploitation, discrimination, and violence.
• Safeguard the fundamental infrastructure of democracy by protecting the right to vote and access to justice, ensuring that communities have effective and democratically accountable policing, and protecting those who protect us.
• Expand opportunity for all people by advancing the opportunity to learn, earn a living, live where one chooses, and worship freely in one’s community.

The Division enforces the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1968, as amended; the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended; the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, as amended; the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988; Executive Order 12250 (inter alia, Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended); and the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act.

The Division also enforces the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act; the Police Misconduct Provision of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994; the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000; and Section 102 of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of national origin and citizenship status as well as document abuse and retaliation.

The Division is also charged with all departmental responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).  The ADA assures equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, and services, transportation, and telecommunications. 

Major Functions

The major functions of the Civil Rights Division are to:

• Investigate and, when warranted by the findings, initiate legal proceedings seeking injunctive and other relief in cases involving discrimination in education, credit, employment, housing, public accommodations, and facilities, federally funded programs, voting, and the rights of prisoners and mentally and physically disabled persons.
• Prosecute violations of criminal statutes that prohibit specified acts of interference with federally protected rights and activities, such as conspiracies to interfere with or deny a certain individual or group of individuals the exercise of these rights.
• Prosecute violations of anti-trafficking statutes, including the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, and play a strong role in identifying, protecting, and assisting victims of human trafficking.
• Implement Executive Order 12250 by studying, reviewing, and approving regulatory changes proposed by all federal executive branch agencies as they pertain to civil rights, including Titles VI and IX and Section 5 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.
• Under the ADA, coordinate the technical assistance activities of other federal agencies and provide technical assistance to places of public accommodation and state and local governments.
• Serve as the principal advisor to the Attorney General on all matters pertaining to civil rights.
• Provide Department representation to, and maintain close liaison and cooperation with, officials and representatives of other divisions, federal agencies, state, and municipal governments, and private organizations on civil rights issues.
• Develop policy and legislative positions and proposals that advance the Division’s enforcement work.