equal protection

noun

: a guarantee under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that a state must treat an individual or class of individuals the same as it treats other individuals or classes in like circumstances

Examples of equal protection in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law) filed a federal lawsuit on January 28 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Trump Administration in response to the order, saying the ban violates equal protection. —Solcyré Burga, TIME, 3 Feb. 2025

The lawsuit, filed by GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights in a federal court in the District of Columbia, alleges that the executive order violates the equal protection clause of the Fifth Amendment. —Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Jan. 2025

Advertisement In a federal lawsuit filed on New Year’s Eve in the Eastern District of California, the California Chamber of Commerce and the California Restaurant Assn. contend that the law violates companies’ rights to free speech and equal protection under the 1st and 14th amendments. —Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2025

Germain believes that, far from extending equal protection, the Supreme Court will use the case to narrow its definition. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

equal protection

noun

: a guarantee under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that a state must treat an individual or class of individuals the same as it treats other individuals or classes in like circumstances

called also equal protection of the law

see also rational basis test, strict scrutiny, suspect classification

Note: The equal protection requirement of the Constitution protects against legislation that affects individuals differently without a rational basis for doing so. In reviewing claims of denial of equal protection, a court will uphold legislation that has a rational basis unless the legislation affects a fundamental right or involves a suspect classification, such as race. In such a case, the court will use a strict scrutiny standard of review and will strike down legislation that does not show a compelling need for discriminating.