U.S. Commission on Civil Rights USCCR

The Civil Rights Act of 1957, signed on September 9, 1957, the first federal civil rights law since Reconstruction, created the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to investigate denials of voting rights and equal protection. Its hearings and reports documenting discrimination in the South helped build the case for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. After President Reagan tried to fire several commissioners in 1983, Congress reconstituted it with members chosen by both the President and Congress.

The Commission has eight members serving six-year terms: four appointed by the President and two each by the House and Senate leadership, with no more than four from one party. It holds hearings, issues reports on topics such as policing, voting, education, and disability rights, and evaluates how well federal agencies enforce civil rights laws. It maintains advisory committees in every state, made up of local volunteers. It has no enforcement power and relies on publicity and persuasion.

The Commission's formal authorization lapsed in 1996, but Congress has kept funding it each year. Its small staff and bipartisan structure have made its reports a forum for competing views, with commissioners often issuing sharp dissents. Supporters say it provides independent scrutiny of federal civil rights enforcement, while critics across the spectrum have at times called it partisan or of limited influence.