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Civil rights generally refers to the rights that individuals living in the United States have under the United States Constitution , certain federal laws, the Maryland constitution and certain state laws.
There are a number of federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination because of age, race, color, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, religion, and pregnancy.
Several federal statutes (laws) allow people whose civil rights have been violated to sue the violator(s).
In addition to the general requirements you must meet in order to vote in Maryland, there are special rules if you have been convicted of certain crimes and/or are currently under certain restrictions within the criminal justice system.
The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits each government in the United States from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude" (i.e., slavery). It was ratified on February 3, 1870.
Is this legal advice?
This site offers legal information, not legal advice. We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information and to clearly explain your options. However we do not provide legal advice - the application of the law to your individual circumstances. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney. The Maryland State Law Library, a court-related agency of the Maryland Judiciary, sponsors this site. In the absence of file-specific attribution or copyright, the Maryland State Law Library may hold the copyright to parts of this website. You are free to copy the information for your own use or for other non-commercial purposes with the following language “Source: Maryland's People’s Law Library – www.peoples-law.org. © Maryland State Law Library, 2010.”