Bush signs Civil Rights Act of 1991 restoring workplace discrimination remedies

President George H. W. Bush signs the Civil Rights Act of 1991 on November 21, 1991. The law responds to several Supreme Court decisions that had narrowed employment discrimination protections. The statute strengthens disparate-impact claims, provides jury trials and damages in some discrimination cases, and clarifies burdens of proof under federal employment law. Supporters say it restores civil rights protections weakened by the Court. Congress rebuilds workplace discrimination enforcement and preserves disparate-impact doctrine as a tool against systemic racial inequality in employment.