The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the enforcement spine for anti-discrimination law in the United States. It bars discrimination in employment, education, public accommodations, and federally funded programs based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. In practice, it governs hiring rules, workplace conduct, school access, hospital operations, transit systems, and local government services. It also authorizes federal agencies to investigate and withhold funds when institutions violate these protections. Nearly every modern civil rights dispute starts with this statute.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is the country’s main guardrail against racial discrimination in elections. It prohibits voting practices that dilute or block access for voters of color, requires jurisdictions to provide language access, and gives courts the tools to fix discriminatory maps and procedures. Although parts of the law have been narrowed by recent Supreme Court decisions, its core provisions still shape redistricting fights, polling-place changes, ID requirements, and federal oversight when states adopt rules that disproportionately burden minority voters.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the enforcement spine for anti-discrimination law in the United States. It bars discrimination in employment, education, public accommodations, and federally funded programs based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. In practice, it governs hiring rules, workplace conduct, school access, hospital operations, transit systems, and local government services. It also authorizes federal agencies to investigate and withhold funds when institutions violate these protections. Nearly every modern civil rights dispute starts with this statute. Congress expanded the statute in 1988 and federal agencies have updated enforcement rules. Modern zoning fights trace to this amended structure, not the 1968 baseline.