Question

What does the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment to the constitution provide? Research and provide a case in which the equal protection clause was used and provide the Facts; Law; Holding of the Court with regard to the case selected.

Answer 1

The Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution was drafted with the objective of providing equal protection and representation under law to all citizens of the nation.

Case: Reed v Reed

Issue: After the death of a minor son, the plaintiff and defendant, the adoptive parents who had divorced a whole ago, were fighting to get the administratrix and guardian’s right for the deceased son’s estate. The Idaho law favored the father stating a man could manage the estate better. The plaintiff had challenged the discrimination based on Idaho law

Rule: The court integrated the clauses of Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution which vouches for equal representation and equal protection rights to all citizens of the States.

Analysis: The court analyzed the capability and need of both the mother and the father, who were claiming the guardian’s rights for the deceased son’s estate. The plaintiff was looking after the son, before his death while the defendant, an abusive father and husband, had left them alone. The court had conducted 2 tests to validate the plaintiff’s claims for the estate rights – claim validation on rational basis and claim validation on strict scrutiny. The mother qualified in both regards.

Conclusion: The court gave its judgement in favor of the plaintiff, ruling out the influence of Idaho law and facilitating the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.