How has the Supreme Court interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause?

The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed in 1868, two years after the Civil War, and was designed to protect the rights of newly freed African Americans. The amendment states that no state shall “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” This equal protection clause has been interpreted in numerous Supreme Court cases over the years. When interpreting the clause, the court has established various levels of scrutiny. For example, if a law affects a class of people based on race, national origin, or religion, then the law will be subjected to a “strict scrutiny” review. This means that the law must be necessary and narrowly tailored to achieve a compelling government interest in order to be constitutional. However, if a law does not affect a protected class, then the court will determine if the law is “rationally related” to a legitimate state interest. If it is, then the law is constitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court has also used the equal protection clause to protect other groups from discrimination, including women, disabled persons, and sexual minorities. In the 1996 case Romer v. Evans, the court struck down an amendment to the Colorado Constitution that prohibited any government entity in the state from protecting gay individuals from discrimination. The court held that the amendment did not serve any legitimate state interest and, as such, violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause has played an important role in protecting the civil rights of individuals in California and throughout the United States.

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How has the Supreme Court interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause?

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