This paper identifies major changes in the area of civil rights which have been instituted during President Reagan's term in office and discusses their implications for Hispanics. Section I briefly outlines central themes of the Administration's attitude towards civil rights. Questions about their negative impact on Hispanics are raised. The next six sections discuss particular developments within a different Federal department or commission. Subjects are as follows: in section II, the Department of Justice (agency leadership, affirmative action, voting rights, fair housing, Federal grant recipient compliance, tax-exempt status for schools, and school desegregation); in section III, the Department of Education (use of the intent test, bilingual education, education block grants, and education for the handicapped); in section IV, the Department of Health and Human Services (increased voluntary compliance and block grants); in section V, the Department of Labor; in section VI, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (complaint processing and its Hispanic Study); and in section VII, the United States Commission on Civil Rights (firing of commissioners, reauthorization of the commissions, and new commission initiatives). In conclusion, the paper contends that the Reagan Administration's policies are regressive because they support the reversal or dilution of many long-established laws, rulings, regulations, and procedures. Their impact, it is argued, will be severe for Hispanics, who suffer as a group from pervasive discrimination and have not fully benefitted from the legal mandates for equality enacted in the past. (KH)