Protecting Your Civil Rights
By Law Offices of Michael P. Schmiege
Apr. 28, 2011 4:17p
Under the law, every American citizen has “civil rights,” which are each and every man or woman’s rights to receive equal treatment and to be free of unfair treatment, inhumane treatment and discrimination. Civil rights can be violated in a number of settings including employment, education, and housing and even with arrests.
Initially, the “Civil Rights Movement” was aimed at achieving equality for African Americans, however in modern times the term “civil rights” now applies to all people, regardless of race, sex, age, disability, national origin, or religious affiliation.
Most civil rights laws are protected at the federal level. This can be seen by federal legislation and court decisions, even cities and counties will enact ordinances and laws which are connected to civil rights. Civil rights violations can be filed in both the state and the federal courts. Determining where you file, may be set forth by pre-existing applicable laws. In some cases, people who feel they have been a victim of a civil rights violation may have to file a claim with the appropriate government agency before they can move forward with a civil lawsuit. Your
Chicago criminal defense attorney can help you with ensuring that all paperwork is filed with the proper government agency and court.
Civil Rights Lawyer in Chicago
In addition to the aforementioned civil rights violations, law enforcement can be guilty of violating their suspect’s civil rights. Historically, police officers have been known to violate the civil rights of their suspects through police brutality, illegal search and seizure, false arrest, jail beatings, prison deaths, wrongful convictions, and by a failure to protect among other civil rights violations.
If your civil rights have been violated, then contact a Chicago civil rights attorney from the Law Offices of Michael P. Schmiege today. When you are up against law enforcement and their unlimited resources, you have no other choice but to hire aggressive representation. We will work tirelessly in order to protect your legal rights and, we will unearth any civil rights violations, in order to help you achieve a more positive outcome in the charges against you.
Contact a Chicago civil rights lawyer from our firm for a free initial case evaluation.
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