equal protection
noun
: a guarantee under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that a state must treat an individual or class of individuals the same as it treats other individuals or classes in like circumstances
Examples of equal protection in a Sentence
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In 2022, the state Fourth District Court of Appeal sided with Heard, ruling that denying resentencing to people with de facto life-without-parole sentences — while allowing it for people sentenced to formal life without parole — violated the Constitution’s equal protection clause.
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Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
The case was brought by a group of Louisiana citizens who declared that the federal mandate under Section 2 to draw a second majority-Black district violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and thus served as an unconstitutional act of racial gerrymandering.
—Robert D. Bland, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
Each of them went to court, contending that their respective state laws violate the equal protection clause of the Constitution and federal statutes barring discrimination against women in sports.
—Gwen Faulkenberry, Arkansas Online, 22 Jan. 2026
Key takeaways Constitution's equal protection clause The justices will also debate whether Idaho's and West Virginia’s laws violate the 14th Amendment’s guarantee that laws will be applied equally to people in similar situations.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 10 Jan. 2026
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Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
The case was brought by a group of Louisiana citizens who declared that the federal mandate under Section 2 to draw a second majority-Black district violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and thus served as an unconstitutional act of racial gerrymandering.
—Robert D. Bland, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
Each of them went to court, contending that their respective state laws violate the equal protection clause of the Constitution and federal statutes barring discrimination against women in sports.
—Gwen Faulkenberry, Arkansas Online, 22 Jan. 2026
Key takeaways Constitution's equal protection clause The justices will also debate whether Idaho's and West Virginia’s laws violate the 14th Amendment’s guarantee that laws will be applied equally to people in similar situations.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for equal protection
Cite this Entry
“Equal protection.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equal%20protection. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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