law chart

Employment Law

Description and Requirement of Law

Court Case(s) Influential to Establishment of Law

Importance of Law

Workplace Application

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Enacted on July 2, 1964 is a landmark  civil rights and  labor law in the United States that outlaws  discrimination based on  race,  color, religion, sex, [a] and national origin. [4] It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements,  racial segregation in schools and  public accommodations, and employment discrimination. 

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Heart of Atlanta Motel, Incorporated v. United States, et al. (1964)

The law banned racial discrimination in public places, particularly in public accommodations, largely based on Congress' control of interstate commerce.

Removed employment discrimination based on one's race, religion, sex, national origin and color became illegal. This law protects employees of a company as well as job applicants. All companies with 15 or more employees are required to adhere to the rules set forth by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law also established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) which continues to enforce this and other laws that protect us against employment discrimination.

Equal Employment Opportunity Act

Equal Pay Act

Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

Civil Rights Act of 1991

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993

Privacy Act of 1974

Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988

Polygraph Protection Act of 1988

Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) of 1988