The Equal Protection Clause is one of the most litigated and significant provisions in contemporary constitutional law. Many view it as the attempt to uphold the professed “all men are created equal” clause written in the Constitution. But the importance of a service performed by the State does not determine whether it must be regarded as fundamental for purposes of examination under the Equal Protection Clause. See Bolling v. Sharpe, 347 U.S. 497 (1954). Obviously, the Equal Protection Clause cannot mean that government is obligated to treat all persons exactly the same--only, at most, that it is obligated to treat people the same if they are "similarly circumstanced." Some localities, for example, required a chad to be punctured so that light could pass through it in order for it to count as a vote — a position known colloquially as the “sunshine” standard. shall deny to any person... equal protection of the laws."' The notion that mere race-consciousness, whatever its intent, was inconsistent with the Fourteenth Amendment is unsupported by history. In doing so, Part II of this Comment will provide a brief history of the Supreme Court's traditional equal protection jurisprudence. recognized under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment does not take from the State the power to classify in the adoption of police laws, but admits of the exercise of a wide scope of discretion in that regard, and avoids what is done only when it is without any reasonable basis and therefore is purely arbitrary. Twitter. Introduction to Equal Protection Important Cases; It can perhaps be said that the Equal Protection Clause is at the core of the 14th Amendment. Section 15 itself dates back to the earliest draft of the Charter, published in October 1980, but it was worded differently. The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states, “[n]o State shall . Over recent decades, the Supreme Court has developed a three-tiered approach to analysis under the Equal Protection Clause. [48] When Earl Warren became Chief Justice in 1953, Brown had already come before the Court. 200 VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW [Vol. reading of the Equal Protection Clause that I call equal protection incorporation. The Equal Protection Clause, part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, provides that "no state shall ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” [24] This study focuses on the Equal Protection Clause because it was designed to ensure that the Constitution protects minorities from prejudice in the political process. State intrusion in this case is equally burdensome. "'There is Only One Equal Protection Clause': An Appreciation of Justice Stevens's Equal Protection Jurisprudence", Fordham Law Review, Vol. Richter: A Standard for "Class of One" Claims Under the Equal Protection C Produced by The Berkeley Electronic Press, 2000. 8 Gerald Gunther, Foreword: In Search of Evolving Doctrine on a Changing Court: A Model for Newer Equal Protection, 86 HARV. WhatsApp. . 74, p. 2301, 2306 (2006). In Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court invoked the Equal Protection Clause to protect same-sex marriages. A recent use of equal protection doctrine came in Bush v. Gore (2000). . By. Oh argues that when the United States Supreme Court decided Richmond v. Croson in 1989 and imposed strict scrutiny on state and local government affirmative action programs, it marked a critical moment and turning point in the evolution and development of public and legal discourse on race, racism, and race relations in America. The Equal protection law implies that no State has the right to deny anyone within jurisdiction equal protection of the law. 24 . Share. A recent use of Equal Protection doctrine came in Bush v. Gore (2000). Concernant l’accès à l’éducation, l’Equal Opportunities Act 1974 interdit la discrimination fondée sur l’ethnie, la couleur ou l’origine nationale. the equal protection clause is applicable, and one must determine whether the government complied with the requirements of the clause. The Supreme Court itself recognized the gravity of the Brown v Board decision acknowledging that a split decision would be a threat to the role of the Supreme Court and even to the country. 2. The equal protection issue arose because different localities within Florida were using different specific standards to determine whether to count a ballot as having a valid vote. Facebook. The equal protection clause in the Constitution does not merely bar the creation of inequalities but commands as well the elimination of existing inequalities. See also supra note I and accompanying text. Ainsi, le Civil Rights Act 1964 et l’Equal protection clause apparaissent comme les piliers de la construction du droit en matière de lutte contre les discriminations aux Etats-Unis. Supreme Court's Equal Protection Clause jurisprudence. In general, the equal pro-tection clause requires that government classifications be supported by a sufficient justification. At issue was the controversial recount in Florida in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election. The Supreme Court invokes the clause to prohibit discrimination based on other factors as well, including gender, immigration status and sexual orientation. [25] Lest … The basic idea is borrowed from the Court's due process jurisprudence. Equal protection of the law is a right that has been guaranteed by the Equal Protection Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution since 1868. 10 The Fifth Amendment contains no equal protection clause. The equal protection clause is a section of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution that says that states cannot, “deny to any person within [their] jurisdiction the equal protection of [their] laws.” This clause is designed to prevent the passage of discriminatory state laws that deny equal rights to people in similar circumstances, but of different classes. Here the analysis is more complex. equal protection, and free exercise. Part 1H1 of the Comment reviews the pre-Willowbrook decisions in the circuit courts and outlines the facts and holdings of Court's decision in Willowbrook. From the standpoint of the political process, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender have the same interest in participating in the party-list system on the same basis as other political parties similarly situated. In 1954 the contextualization of the equal protection clause would change forever. Linkedin . Additionally, the purpose of imposing penalties, which is to secure justice, retribution and reformation, will be defeated and put to naught if the bill's program/scheme should eventually become a law. [T]he answer lies in assessing whether there is a right to education explicitly or implicitly guaranteed by the Constitution. "equal protection component" of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. After all, this amendment was passed in the wake of the Civil War in attempts to remedy some of injustices that led up to that war, like racial inequality and slavery. The Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution pro-vides that "no state .. . Equal Protection. . Thus, on this account, equal protection jurisprudence may be appropriately applied to voting rights. - 120 S. Ct. 1073,1074-75 (2000) (per curiam). The Equal Protection Clause’s duality is evidenced by the fact that the Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment adopted all manners of race-conscious measures specifically for black Americans: the Freedman’s Bureau, schools, hospitals, banks, and land. At issue was the controversial recount in Florida in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election. . admin - January 24, 2018. Thus, on this account, equal protection jurisprudence may be appropriately applied to voting rights. The Equal Protection Clause is part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. 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