While great strides have been made in the realm of civil rights, violations still exist. Federal civil rights laws were enacted to protect certain classes of people from discrimination based on specific group characteristics. It states that people must be treated equally regardless of race, color, or religion.
While it’s ideal for protecting people from discrimination, federal law is not always enough. Sometimes people must seek counsel or hire a civil rights lawyer to get justice for the wrong they have suffered. Many states have also enacted civil rights laws to protect their citizens from unlawful discrimination. California is one such state.
In addition to federal civil rights laws, here’s a little about the civil rights law in California.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal law that prevents discrimination based on color, race, or religion. It is a federal law that attempts to treat all people equally. The law states that no particular class of people may be denied benefits or discriminated against based on group characteristics such as race, color, or religion.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to everything from voting rights to employment decisions and attempts to guarantee equal treatment for all citizens under the law. Groups of people who have been traditionally discriminated against because of a certain characteristic are known as a protected class. People of a specific color, gender, or sexual orientation may belong to a protected class under the law.
The Unruh Civil Rights Act
The California Civil Codes sections 51, 54 through sections 55.2 are state laws that protect California citizens from specific acts of discrimination. The Unruh Civil Rights Act is perhaps the most well-known of them all. It prohibits discrimination against any protected class of citizen in the state of California by all business establishments, including housing.
The Unruh Civil Rights Act of California was named after its author, Jesse Unruh, and it is a little more specific to protected classes. It prohibits all public and private businesses from discriminating based on color, age, ancestry, disability, sexual orientation, sex, and national origin. It can also be applied to some non-profit companies.
A skilled civil rights lawyer has even used The Unruh Civil Rights Act to hold websites responsible when they do business in California. Even when the business is not located in California, if it does business with California residents, then it is subject to ensuring that all California citizens are treated equally and afforded the same opportunities.
Partner with a Skilled Civil Rights Lawyer
If you feel you have suffered discrimination under the law, then a civil rights lawyer may be able to help. Federal law and California state law both guaranteed citizens equal treatment. Employers and businesses are prohibited from discriminating against protected classes of people based on a group characteristic. If you feel this has happened to you, don’t wait. Partner with an experienced civil rights lawyer who can help fight for your rights and get you the compensation you deserve under the law. They can help you hold the responsible parties accountable to help prevent this tragedy from happening to others.