OPELIKA CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYERS
“Civil rights” are the rights of all individuals to receive equal treatment and to be free from unfair treatment or discrimination. These civil rights are broken and denied every day in a number of settings – such as education, employment, housing, and more — and all of these instances are based on certain legally-protected characteristics. Most laws guaranteeing and regulating civil rights originate at the federal level, either through federal legislation or through the decisions of the Supreme Court and lower Federal Courts. States also have their own civil rights laws similar to those at the federal level. Federal civil rights legislation includes the Family Medical Leave Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination act and the Americans with Disabilities Act among many others.
Here in the South, the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, we think of Civil Rights as the struggle of African-Americans to gain equality in many areas of life. But the “true meaning” of Civil Rights applies to the equality of all people regardless of age, sex, color, disability, religion, national origin or other personal character issues.
Most recently, the expansion of Civil Rights litigation has grown in the areas of same sex couples. Same sex couples are being discriminated against due to their sexual orientation and desire to be recognized the same as heterosexual couples. And, recent Supreme Court decisions have now expanded the umbrella of civil rights to cover discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Cases involving sexual orientation, or more commonly known, as “same sex couples” have arisen from the same ashes as previous civil rights pioneers. Issues such as:
- Stores refusing to serve them
- Insurance companies refusing benefits to a member of a same sex couple
- Organization’s refusing to host same sex wedding ceremonies
- Government entities refusing to issue marriage licenses
- Denial of Power of Attorney
The courts have made it very clear that the rights of same sex couples will be the same as all couples and we, at Alsobrook Jackson, Attorneys at Law, are here to defend those rights.
If you feel that you have been discriminated against in housing, employment or educational opportunities because of your age, color, disability, ethnicity, sex or national origin or sexual orientation and would like to talk about your case, please give us a call. Civil Rights Litigation encompasses a wide range of issues and our attorneys, Zach Alsobrook and Raymond Jackson, are versed on these issues, ready to hear your story and support you throughout the legal process.
Call the Law Firm of Alsobrook Jackson today at 334.737.3718 for a free consultation or contact us online to speak with a lawyer with the experience and desire, to get the job done.
