South Orange is a suburban municipality in the New York Metropolitan Area located in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the village's population was 16,964. Seton Hall University is located in South Orange. "The time and circumstances under which the name South Orange originated will probably never be known," wrote historian William H Shaw in 1884, "and we are obliged to fall back on a tradition, that Mr Nathan Squier first used the name in an advertisement offering wood for sale" in 1795. Of the 566 municipalities in New Jersey, South Orange Village is one of only four with a village type of government; the others are Loch Arbour, Ridgefield Park and Ridgewood. South Orange Village dates back to May 4, 1869, when it was formed within South Orange Township. On March 4, 1904, the Village of South Orange was created by an act of the New Jersey Legislature and separated from South Orange Township. In 1981, the name was changed to "South Orange Village Township" to take advantage of federal revenue sharing policies. The change was intended to allow South Orange to qualify for a pool of federal aid allocated to municipalities that allowed townships to receive as much as double the revenue-sharing aid per capita received by the four other types of New Jersey municipalities — borough, city, town or village.

What is civil rights law?

A civil right is an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places. Discrimination occurs when the civil rights of an individual are denied or interfered with because of their membership in a particular group or class. Statutes have been enacted to prevent discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, previous condition of servitude, physical limitation, national origin, and in some instances sexual preference. Civil rights attorneys handle cases involving the rights of individuals to be free from unequal treatment (or discrimination) based on legally-protected characteristics such as race, gender, disability, national origin, age, sexual orientation, and religion. Civil rights cases can arise in a number of settings -- including employment, housing, lending, and education.

Answers to civil rights law issues in New Jersey

Under federal laws, it is illegal to discriminate against someone (applicant or employee) because of that person's...

The law forbids discrimination because of...

It is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) because of that person’s sex. Harassment can include "...

Harassment is a form of employment discrimination that may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the...

The Equal Pay Act requires that men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay for equal work. The jobs need...

It is illegal to fire, demote, refuse to promote, harass, or otherwise “retaliate” against people (applicants or...

Your battle to beat a ticket or worse begins the instant you realize you're being pulled over by a police officer....

In certain kinds of cases, lawyers charge what is called a contingency fee. Instead of billing by the hour, the...