Equal Protection Clause Law and Legal Definition
Equal Protection clause is a part of the 14th amendment to the U.S. constitution and says that "no state shall ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." This clause requires the states to provide similarly situated persons or classes similar treatment under the law. In other words, this provision states that likes should be treated alike, or equal people should be treated equally. The equal protection clause limits the powers of government bodies, but not the private parties on whom it confers equal protection.
