How has the Supreme Court interpreted the rights of citizens under the Fourteenth Amendment?

The United States Supreme Court has interpreted the rights of citizens under the Fourteenth Amendment in significant ways. The Fourteenth Amendment was adopted in 1868 and states that citizens of the United States shall not be denied the “equal protection of the laws.” This means that citizens are to be treated equally by the government. The Supreme Court has interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment to mean that all people must be afforded equal protection under the law and that laws must have a rational basis. In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the court determined that state-mandated segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. This decision was a major step forward in civil rights and equal protection. The Supreme Court has also interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment to mean that certain fundamental rights, such as the right to privacy, are protected. This has been interpreted to include the right to an abortion, the right to marry someone of the same-sex, and the right to possess certain kinds of weapons. The Fourteenth Amendment is also at the heart of many decisions involving affirmative action and race-based preferences. The Supreme Court has held that racial preferences might be necessary to ensure equal protection under the law, and that laws which discriminate on the basis of race must be subject to strict scrutiny. In summary, the Supreme Court has held that the Fourteenth Amendment requires laws to treat people equally and protect fundamental rights. This has had a major impact on civil rights in the United States and is a cornerstone of the American legal system.

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How has the Supreme Court interpreted the rights of citizens under the Fourteenth Amendment?

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