Issues - Rollback

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The issues

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As Americans we expect that we all have opportunity, and that our laws make our society fair and our government accountable. Our civil rights laws were written not to benefit just a few, but to protect us all. For the past few years the federal courts have made it more and more difficult to ensure that all people are treated fairly. The National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights is working hard to make sure our laws are in step with the country we want for future generations and ourselves.

Click on the links below for more information on each of these important issues.

CHILDRENS RIGHTS

State-funded programs that protect and care for children are under fire from federal courts, which, in some cases, are making it very difficult for people or groups to sue their state, even if that state is violating the law. Find out more....

DISABILITY RIGHTS

The Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted to protect people with disabilities from discrimination and humiliation. However, over the last few years the federal courts have been weakening the ADA so that it protects fewer and fewer people in fewer and fewer situations. Find out more....

EDUCATION

There is no fundamental right to education in our country. Poorer children are more likely to go to schools with fewer resources, even in the public schools. And our public schools are as segregated now as they were when segregation was legal. Find out more....

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

We used to be able to stop polluters from targeting our communities of color-until the Supreme Court recently allowed these polluters back in. And now the courts have made it almost impossible to do anything about it. Find out more....

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Rulings in the federal courts concerning environmental protection can have incredibly wide-reaching impacts. The ultimate consequences of the decisions our courts make about the air we breathe, the water we drink, and our systems of nature affect us all. Find out more....

HEALTH CARE

There is no federally mandated right to quality health care, and more than 45 million people have no health insurance. It's also getting harder and harder to use the courts to ensure we get access to health care and very difficult to stop practices that make our children sick. Find out more....

HOUSING RIGHTS

The 1968 Fair Housing Act aims to eliminate discrimination in the sale and rental of homes on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, and disability. Although federal housing laws have enjoyed broad support through much of their history, the protections they guarantee have been threatened by recent court decisions. Find out more...

IMMIGRANTS' RIGHTS

Federal courts have played an important role in protecting people, including immigrants, against discrimination. Just like people born in the United States, immigrants have also been able to seek redress in the courts when their rights are violated, though the system has been far from perfect. Find out more...

LANGUAGE RIGHTS

People who don't speak English as their first language face discrimination that affects their access to health care, education, employment, and justice. Although people can't legally be discriminated against based on their national origin, the courts are making it very hard to enforce. Find out more....

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDERED RIGHTS

There is no federal law protecting people from discrimination based on their actual-or perceived-sexual orientation. Several states have written discrimination into their constitutions and statutes.And some people want to change the US constitution to prevent gay people from marrying. Find out more....

RACIAL JUSTICE

Throughout the history of our nation, federal law and court rulings have been crucial to protecting racial justice. The fact remains that people of color are still discriminated against in subtle and overt ways, and we have a lot of work to do. To make matters worse, several recent key cases in federal court are making it more and more difficult to go to court if you are discriminated against on the basis of race. Find out more....

SENIOR CITIZENS RIGHTS

Because of recent rulings, the Supreme Court has made it harder-and in some cases impossible-for a person to sue for age discrimination, even if it is proven that discrimination exists. Find out more....

WOMENS RIGHTS

Basic legal rights that women have won over the past three decades-the right to choose, the right to equal opportunities and work and in education, and a wide range of other protections that allow women safe and fair lives-are under threat by the appointment of federal judges who share extreme legal philosophies.Find out more....

WORKERS RIGHTS

Because of a series of recent Supreme Court decisions, state employees have lost the right to go to court to seek compensation for unfair labor practices. The Supreme Court has also recently weakened the almost-80-year-old requirements of the National Labor Relations Act.Find out more....