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

In June 2023, the court held that race-conscious admissions programs violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, effectively curtailing the consideration of race in colleges nationwide. —Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 13 Feb. 2026

The students said the Muwekma Ohlone tribe was wrongfully denied equal protections under the law after its members were declared extinct and lost their federal recognition and land rights. —Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026

The referrals of positive drug tests to law enforcement agencies could help build the case for recognizing a fetus as a separate person entitled to equal protection, said University of California Davis law professor Mary Ziegler. —Shoshana Walter, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026

In 2022, the state Fourth District Court of Appeal sided with Heard, ruling that denying resentencing to people with de facto life-without-parole sentences — while allowing it for people sentenced to formal life without parole — violated the Constitution’s equal protection clause. —Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for equal protection

• interconnection
• microinjection
• superinfection
• abjection
• advection
• affection
• bijection
• bisection
• collection
• complexion
• confection
• connection

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.