New Jersey: The CROWN Act (A5564)
Adopted: December 2019 Bill Number: A5564 Governor: Phil Murphy Status: Enacted
New Jersey enacted its CROWN Act in December 2019, becoming one of the first three states alongside California and New York to prohibit hair discrimination. Governor Phil Murphy signed A5564, amending New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination (LAD) to explicitly include hair texture and protective hairstyles as protected characteristics.
Key Provisions
Law Against Discrimination amendment. A5564 expands the definition of race under New Jersey’s LAD to include traits historically associated with race, specifically hair texture and protective hairstyles including braids, locs, and twists.
Comprehensive coverage. New Jersey’s LAD is one of the most expansive anti-discrimination statutes in the country, covering employment, housing, public accommodation, and credit. The CROWN Act amendment extends hair protections across all of these domains.
Enforcement through the Division on Civil Rights. The New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, which enforces the LAD, has jurisdiction over hair discrimination complaints.
New Jersey Context
New Jersey’s diverse population, with approximately 1.2 million Black residents, and its proximity to New York City make it a significant jurisdiction for hair discrimination protections. Many New Jersey residents commute to New York for work, and the alignment of protections across both states created a consistent standard for the metropolitan area.
The state’s strong history of civil rights legislation provided fertile ground for the CROWN Act. New Jersey’s LAD, first enacted in 1945, was one of the earliest state-level civil rights statutes in the nation, and the CROWN Act amendment continues this tradition.
New Jersey’s adoption, alongside California and New York, completed the initial trio of states that demonstrated the CROWN Act’s legislative viability. This critical mass of adoptions in the final months of 2019 set the stage for the broader movement that would reach twenty-four states by 2024.
For the full legislative timeline, see the CROWN Act timeline. For analysis of lessons for European jurisdictions, see Lessons from the CROWN Act for Europe.
For detailed legal analysis of New Jersey’s CROWN Act provisions, contact contact@crown.ngo.