This article provides a theoretical reflection on the sociological uses of the category of discrimination, paying close attention to its relationship with the law. The article promotes a cautious and reflexive approach to the notion of discrimination, fully weighing the consequences of what a category so heavily marked by law does to the sociological analysis of power relations and social inequality. After examining the legal framework of discrimination, the article presents sociological appropriations of the notion, more specifically in the US and in France. These theoretical reflections, in turn, illuminate the presentation of the sociological literature on anti-discrimination law on both sides of the Atlantic.