Which constitutional amendment guarantees equal protection and due process under the law?

Which constitutional amendment guarantees equal protection and due process under the law?

• A. Bias-Based Policing
• B. Quotas
• C. National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals
• D. Fourteenth Amendment

Answer: (D)

Equal protection and due process under the law are guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. Ratified after the Civil War, it prohibits states from denying anyone within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws and it guarantees due process, protecting individuals from unfair or arbitrary state action. The due process clause has also been used to apply most of the Bill of Rights to the states through incorporation, extending these protections beyond federal action. The other options describe practices or bodies rather than a constitutional guarantee.

Equal protection and due process under the law are guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. Ratified after the Civil War, it prohibits states from denying anyone within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws and it guarantees due process, protecting individuals from unfair or arbitrary state action. The due process clause has also been used to apply most of the Bill of Rights to the states through incorporation, extending these protections beyond federal action. The other options describe practices or bodies rather than a constitutional guarantee.