Equal Protection Clause

A provision of the Fourteenth Amendment requiring states to provide equal protection of the laws to every person within their jurisdiction.

Equal protection analysis: The framework courts use to assess whether a government classification violates the Equal Protection Clause. Its levels of scrutiny shape how courts review classifications under the clause.
Brown v. Board of Education: The 1954 Supreme Court decision holding racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. It rejected school segregation under the Equal Protection Clause.
Fourteenth Amendment: A 1868 amendment to the U.S. Constitution establishing citizenship and restricting state power. The Equal Protection Clause is one of its central provisions.
Due Process Clause: A constitutional provision barring government from depriving people of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. It protects liberty and fairness, while equal protection addresses unjustified legal distinctions.
Civil Rights Act of 1871: A federal law, now codified in part as 42 U.S.C. § 1983, allowing lawsuits against people who violate federal rights under color of state law. Section 1983 provides a major means of enforcing equal-protection rights against state officials.
Rational basis review: A deferential standard asking whether a government classification is rationally related to a legitimate government interest. Most classifications receive this relatively forgiving form of review.
Plessy v. Ferguson: The 1896 Supreme Court decision that upheld racial segregation under the doctrine of “separate but equal.” Brown repudiated the segregation doctrine this ruling had permitted.
Reconstruction Amendments: The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, adopted after the Civil War to abolish slavery and secure rights. The clause belongs to this constitutional effort to reshape rights after slavery.
Privileges or Immunities Clause: The Fourteenth Amendment provision prohibiting states from abridging the privileges or immunities of U.S. citizens. It is a neighboring amendment guarantee with a different text and legal history.
Voting Rights Act of 1965: A federal law prohibiting racial discrimination in voting and authorizing federal enforcement measures. Its protections complement constitutional limits on racially discriminatory voting rules.

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