The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment states that no state shall deny any person within its jurisdiction equal protection of the laws. This clause has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to mean that individuals who are similarly situated should be treated similarly by the government.
The Equal Protection Clause has been applied in various ways to protect individuals from discrimination based on characteristics such as race, gender, national origin, and sexual orientation. For example, in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause.
The Equal Protection Clause has also been used to strike down laws that discriminate against certain groups of people, such as laws that deny same-sex couples the right to marry. In the case of Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), the Supreme Court held that same-sex marriage bans violated the Equal Protection Clause.
Overall, the Equal Protection Clause ensures that government actions are fair and do not discriminate against individuals based on protected characteristics. It has been a powerful tool in advancing civil rights and promoting equal treatment under the law.
What does the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment entail and how has it been applied?
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