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 district court ruled that, because of this disparity, the plaintiffs had been denied equal protection. —Louis Menand, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025

Schmidt filed a lawsuit a few days later, claiming that the restrictions to public spaces violated her First Amendment right to free speech and Fourteenth Amendment right to due process and equal protection. —Taylor O’Connor, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2025

Arbitrary licensing laws violate equal protection rights. —Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

The case is an equal protection suit, as the plaintiffs claim they were denied their Fifth Amendment right to due process after being placed on administrative leave without cause. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025

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.