Civil Rights
Keating Law Firm represents victims of civil rights violations.
These matters are very personal and require the right legal counsel to evaluate your potential claims and guide you through litigation.
Two laws commonly used to address civil rights violations are the New Jersey Civil Rights Act and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, discussed below. Keating Law Firm will also review these matters for violations of the New Jersey Constitution, the United States Constitution and its Amendments, and other state and federal laws that apply to the specific facts of a case.
If you believe your rights have been violated, contact Keating Law Firm for a free consultation.
The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination establishes protections of our civil rights in a broad array of situations, including housing, education, employment, and places of public accommodation. Notably, this anti-discrimination statute protects certain groups of people from discrimination, harassment, and unlawful retaliation based on their membership in those groups, and it provides powerful remedies to members of those groups whose civil rights are violated.
List of protected classes:
- race,
- creed,
- color,
- national origin,
- nationality,
- ancestry,
- age,
- sex (including pregnancy),
- familial status,
- marital/civil union status,
- religion,
- domestic partnership status,
- affectional or sexual orientation,
- gender identity and expression,
- atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait,
- genetic information,
- liability for military service, and
- mental or physical disability (including perceived disability, and AIDS and HIV status).
The New Jersey Civil Rights Act allows civil claims to be made by persons alleging (1) the deprivation of a right, or (2) that one’s rights have been interfered with by threats, intimidation, coercion, or force. In order to bring a claim against any person under this law, the person alleged to have violated those rights must have been acting “under color of law”, in their role as a public employee or official. Common cases brought under the New Jersey Civil Rights Act involve: (1) police brutality, (2) unlawful arrests, searches, and seizures, (3) unlawful conditions and treatment in jails and prisons.
If you believe your rights have been violated, contact Keating Law Firm for a free consultation.