A statutory violation is not automatically a constitutional violation, and a constitutional right does not automatically provide every remedy. Under equal protection, a facially neutral rule with unequal racial effects generally requires proof of discriminatory governmental purpose; a statute may authorize a different disparate-impact standard within its own coverage. Coverage also varies. Title VII concerns covered employment, Title IX federally funded education, the Fair Housing Act covered housing, and the ADA specified employment, public-service, and public-accommodation settings.

Suppose a private landlord refuses an apartment because of race. The Fourteenth Amendment ordinarily does not reach the private choice without state action, but the Fair Housing Act may prohibit it. If a public school intentionally separates students by race, equal protection applies directly and statutes may add enforcement routes. The difference is not that statutory rights are less real; Congress used legislative authority to define duties, defendants, proof rules, and remedies beyond the Constitution's direct minimum. On a CLEP question, identify the actor, legal source, protected setting, proof standard, and enforcing institution rather than using "civil rights" as a single undifferentiated rule.

Video lesson: Discrimination: Crash Course Government and Politics #31