New Jersey Civil Rights Laws

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| Last reviewed June 20, 2016

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The term "civil rights" refers to the rights of individuals to receive equal treatment under the law, which includes freedom from discrimination in employment and other settings. For the most part, civil rights are enforced at the federal level — most notably the far-reaching protections provided by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But New Jersey and other states typically provide additional civil rights protections within their borders. For instance, it is a violation of New Jersey civil rights laws for employers to discriminate against employees on the basis of one’s gender identity or expression.

The procedural nuts and bolts of New Jersey’s civil rights laws are listed in the table below. For more information, see FindLaw’s Civil Rights section.

Code Section	10:5-1, et seq.
Agency	Division on Civil Rights
Administrative Preemption	No
Private Action Permitted?	Yes
Attorney Fees Recoverable by Plaintiff?	Yes
Statute of Limitations	180 days/agency, 2 yrs./private action

Note: State laws are constantly changing — contact a New Jersey civil rights attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.

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