Research Guides: Employment and Labor Law: Discrimination in Employment

The Basics

Laws Enforced by EEOC (Discrimination)
List of and text for all federal statutes regarding discrimination.

While other employment law is administered or enforced by the DOL (and other subagencies), the best government resource for discrimination law is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC provides leadership and guidance while also handling individual complaints. Many states have additional or complementary laws regarding various types of discrimination.

NJ Division on Civil Rights
Enforces the NJ state Law Against Discrimination (LAD). Includes many resources and legal guides.
ACLU: Discriminatory Profiling
"The ACLU has taken a multi-faceted approach to challenging discriminatory policies, including litigation on behalf of the victims of discriminatory and unlawful surveillance and suspicious activity reporting as well as raising awareness of the corrosive effect of discriminatory profiling on affected communities."
National Committe on Pay Equity
"The National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE), founded in 1979, is a coalition of women's and civil rights organizations; labor unions; religious, professional, legal, and educational associations, commissions on women, state and local pay equity coalitions and individuals working to eliminate sex- and race-based wage discrimination and to achieve pay equity."

Racial Discrimination in Employment

EECO: Facts About Race/Color Discrimination
Explains the relevant law, especially Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Title VII also outlaws discrimination on the basis of national origin, sex, or religion.)
FindLaw- Employee Rights: Racial Discrimination
Covers federal discrimination law, relevant court decisions, how to file a discrimination charge, and other topics.
Questions and Answers About Race and Color Discrimination in Employment

Gender Discrimination & Sexual Harassment in Employment

Department of Labor: Women's Bureau
A federal bureau which "develops policies and standards and conducts inquiries to safeguard the interests of working women; to advocate for their equality and economic security for themselves and their families; and to promote quality work environments." Includes publications and statistics/data.
Sexual Harassment
An online guide published by the Equal Rights Advocates, a non-profit legal group.
National Women's Law Center
Guide from the NWLC (a legislative advocacy group) on such subjects as paycheck fairness and sexual harassment law.
EEOC: Sexual Harassment
Describes what constitutes sexual harassment in the legal sense; links to legislation, regulations, suggested policies, and statistics.

Age Discrimination in Employment

EEOC: Age Discrimination
Explains what constitutes age discrimination under The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), links to legislation, regulations, statistics.
Age Discrimination (DOL)

Disabilities and Discrimination in the Workplace

EEOC: Disability Discrimination
Explains what constitutes discrimination against people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act, links to legislation, regulations, and factsheets.
Disability Law: An Overview
From the Cornell Legal Information Institute, general information and resources on the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)/other laws prohibiting disability-based employment discrimination.

Sexual Orientation and LGBT Issues

There is currently no federal law against discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation; however, 21 states have statutes outlawing it.

Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)
Information from the ACLU on ENDA, a federal law that would protect employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Sexual Orientation Discrimination: Your Rights
A guide from NOLO, about various state and local law against sexual orientation discrimination.