Which amendment's equal protection guarantee was invoked in McCleskey v. Kemp?

Which amendment's equal protection guarantee was invoked in McCleskey v. Kemp?

• A. First Amendment
• B. Fourteenth Amendment
• C. Seventh Amendment
• D. Nineteenth Amendment

Answer: (B)

Equal protection under the law comes from the Fourteenth Amendment, which limits how states treat people. In McCleskey v. Kemp, the claim was that Georgia’s death-penalty system was applied in a racially biased way. The Supreme Court noted that showing statistical disparities in who ends up on death row is not itself enough to prove a violation of equal protection. To succeed, a defendant must demonstrate that the decision-making process was purposefully discriminatory or that a policy targeting a protected class was in place. Since the case did not prove intentional discrimination, the equal protection claim under this amendment did not prevail. The other amendments cited protect different rights (free speech and religion, civil-jury rights, and voting rights), not equal protection in this context.

Equal protection under the law comes from the Fourteenth Amendment, which limits how states treat people. In McCleskey v. Kemp, the claim was that Georgia’s death-penalty system was applied in a racially biased way. The Supreme Court noted that showing statistical disparities in who ends up on death row is not itself enough to prove a violation of equal protection. To succeed, a defendant must demonstrate that the decision-making process was purposefully discriminatory or that a policy targeting a protected class was in place. Since the case did not prove intentional discrimination, the equal protection claim under this amendment did not prevail. The other amendments cited protect different rights (free speech and religion, civil-jury rights, and voting rights), not equal protection in this context.