Definitions for "EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSE"
Portion of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that prohibits discrimination by state government institutions. The clause grants all people "equal protection of the laws," which means that the states must apply the law equally and cannot give preference to one person or class of persons over another.
See "Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."
Fourteenth Amendment provision that prohibits states from denying equal protection of the laws to all people – that is, discriminating against individuals in an arbitrary manner, such as on the basis of race.