| What is the "Community Relations Service?" |
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| The Community Relations Service (CRS) is a federal agency that is a part of the United States Department of Justice. CRS was created by Title V of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to assist local communities in the prevention and resolution of serious racial and ethnic conflicts. For example, CRS might provide impartial federal mediators to help resolve a "use of excessive force" dispute between a city's police department and a citizen's group. CRS can help school officials, a community, and students to establish dialogues. More... |
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| Limited English Proficiency |
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| A person may have Limited English Proficiency, or "LEP," if he or she does not speak English as a primary language or has a limited ability to read, speak, write, or understand English. The federal government has determined that these individuals may be entitled to interpreters, translators, or other "language assistance" needed to access or to participate in certain services or benefits, such as voting, education, and medical care.
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| Internet and Telephone Surveillance After September 11, 2001 |
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| A federal court has ruled that the Internet and telephone surveillance provisions of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act) were unconstitutionally broad. Specifically, the federal court rejected the provision that permitted the Federal Bureau of Investigation to demand Internet usage records from Internet Service Providers and other communications firms, without first obtaining a warrant issued by a court. The Security and Freedom Ensured Act (SAFE Act) has been proposed as a bipartisan measure to restrict some of the surveillance and monitoring powers granted to the federal government by the USA PATRIOT Act.
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| The Right to Education |
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| Contrary to popular belief, the right to a free public education is not among those rights specifically listed in the United States Constitution. Put another way, the Constitution does not require a state to provide free public education to its residents. Instead, a right to a free public education must be enumerated in a state's constitution. Nearly every state's constitution has a provision for free public education. These states have enacted laws with the purpose of providing equal access to a quality education to all resident students.
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| Criminal Civil Rights Violations |
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| A criminal violation requires the use of force or a threat of force. The alleged perpetrator can be prosecuted under various federal criminal civil rights statutes, such as those laws that prohibit hate crimes, bias crimes, and human trafficking. Usually, just one or a few people are charged with a violation. More... |
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