The Right to Equal Protection of the Law

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1868, guarantees all citizens equal protection under the law.

The Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, or any other arbitrary classification.

Strict scrutiny is the highest level of judicial review and is used to evaluate laws that are challenged on the basis of race, religion, or national origin.

In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation of public schools was unconstitutional, overturning the previous decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) that had established the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

The doctrine of 'separate but equal' was established by the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and held that racial segregation was constitutional as long as the facilities provided to different races were equal.

Equal protection is a legal principle that prohibits the government from discriminating against a person or group based on their membership in a particular class.

Race, religion, and national origin are suspect classifications under the Equal Protection Clause, meaning that laws that discriminate on the basis of these classifications are subject to strict scrutiny. Wealth is not a suspect classification.

Equal protection is a legal principle that requires the government to treat all people equally under the law.

Race, religion, and national origin are protected classes under the Equal Protection Clause, meaning that laws that discriminate on the basis of these classifications are subject to strict scrutiny. Age is not a protected class.

Due process is a legal principle that prohibits the government from depriving a person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

Procedural due process and substantive due process are two types of due process. Vague laws and ex post facto laws are not types of due process.

Due process is a legal principle that prohibits the government from making laws that are vague or ambiguous.

Laws that are unclear or ambiguous, laws that are too broad, and laws that are too narrow are all types of vague laws. Laws that are too specific are not vague laws.

Due process is a legal principle that prohibits the government from making laws that retroactively punish people for actions that were not illegal at the time they were committed.

Laws that make an action illegal that was not illegal at the time it was committed, laws that increase the punishment for an action after it was committed, and laws that apply retroactively to pending cases are all types of ex post facto laws. Laws that apply retroactively to completed cases are not ex post facto laws.