Civil Rights Enforcement

The Maine Civil Rights Act authorizes the Attorney General to seek restraining orders against persons who commit violence, threats of violence, or property damage motivated by bias. Civil rights can be defined in the simplest terms as our personal liberties or rights. Civil rights enforcement is the means by which the State of Maine protects those rights.

In the State of Maine, the Attorney General enforces the Maine Civil Rights Act, a civil statute that authorizes the Attorney General to seek restraining orders against persons who commit violence, threats of violence, or property damage motivated by bias. These restraining orders are intended to ensure that the people in this State are afforded the rights guaranteed to them by the United States Constitution, and the Constitution and laws of Maine.

Read frequently asked questions about civil rights.