AF101

American Facts 101

History and civics

Glossary term

Equal Protection Clause

Part of the 14th Amendment requiring states to treat all people equally under the law.

Historical context

The Equal Protection Clause is part of the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The clause, which took effect in 1868, provides "nor shall any State ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." It mandates that individuals in similar situations be treated equally by the law.