civil rights violations

NJ Municipalities are not immune from Civil Rights Claims. Depriving someone of a right under the law does include actions taken under the authority of ordinances, as federal statutes like 18 U.S. Code § 242 and civil rights laws like 42 U.S. Code § 1983 specifically mention that the deprivation can occur "under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage". This means that if a person in a position of authority uses their power, derived from a local ordinance, to violate a person's constitutional or federal rights, it can be a criminal offense or a civil rights violation.