U.S. Department
of Justice
Civil Rights
Civil Rights Enforcement
The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, created in 1957 by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all persons in the United States, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), disability, religion, familial status, national origin, and citizenship status.
Statutes Enforced:
The U.S. Department of Justice has jurisdiction to bring cases under a number of federal statutes, including the:
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Fair Housing Act (FHA)
- Voting Rights Act
- Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA)
- Title IV, Title VI, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
- Service Members’ Civil Relief Act (SCRA)
- Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
- Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act of 1980 (CRIPA)
- Equal Educational Opportunities Act (EEOA)
- Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994 (FACE)
- Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA)
- Deprivation of Rights under Color of Law
- Shepard Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act
To Report a Civil Rights Violation
If you need further assistance or have information concerning a potential violation of federal civil rights laws that you would like to bring to our attention, please complete and send a Civil Rights Complaint Form or call the U.S. Attorney's Office (207-780-3257) and ask to speak to a Civil Rights coordinator.
Other federal agencies also handle civil rights complaints, including:
- Employment discrimination, contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Housing discrimination, contact the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Education discrimination, contact the United States Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights
- Violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, contact the United States Department of Labor, Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS).
- If you are reporting misconduct by law enforcement, contact the FBI.
- If you have witnessed or been the victim of a hate crime, contact the FBI.
- Hate Crimes: At the federal level, hate crime laws include crimes committed on the basis of the victim’s perceived or actual race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.