Plain-English Explanation
Equal protection guarantees that similarly situated people are treated alike by the law. Government classifications are reviewed under different levels of scrutiny: strict (race, religion, national origin), intermediate (gender), or rational basis (most other classifications).
Relevant Provision
U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 1.
Relevant Decisions
Brown v. Board of Education
347 U.S. 483 (1954)
Held that racial segregation in public schools violates the Equal Protection Clause.