Equal Protection Of The Law Legal Meaning and Definition

Here is a simplified definition of the legal term Equal Protection Of The Law.

Equal Protection of the Law (n.) - A constitutional right, outlined in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, that guarantees every person, regardless of their circumstances or characteristics, equal treatment under the law. It ensures that all individuals are entitled to the same legal rights and protections, both in terms of what the law states, and how it's applied in courts and legal procedures.

An important principle to achieve fundamental fairness in law, the Equal Protection of the Law regulates against unequal treatment and especially targets circumstances that may leave certain groups at a disadvantage, like disparities in pay for identical work, uneven taxation, or segregated education systems. A famous application of this principle is the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) case, which ruled that segregated education was unconstitutional as it did not offer equal rights to all students.