Which federal agency did the Civil Rights Act of 1957 create to investigate voting discrimination?

The Civil Rights Act of 1957 created the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to investigate voting discrimination. The bipartisan commission was established as part of the first federal civil-rights law enacted since Reconstruction.

Congress gave the commission authority to investigate allegations that citizens were being denied voting rights because of race, collect evidence, and report its findings. Its creation reflected growing national concern about the exclusion of Black voters in the South.

The commission was not a court and could not directly punish local officials. Its reports instead documented discrimination and helped build support for stronger measures, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It remains an independent, fact-finding federal agency.