平等保護條款

平等保護條款（英語：Equal Protection Clause），是美國法律術語，它保障了所有人民在法律之前均可得到同等的對待。這個條款來自美國憲法第十四修正案中，保障每名美國公民不被各州的州政府剝奪依法律享有的公民權利，以確保永久廢除奴隸制。此條款在1954年布朗訴托皮卡教育局案後，被應用於各種牽涉公民權利的官司，包括具爭議性的1973年容許墮胎全國合法化的羅訴韋德案（Roe v. Wade）。^[1]^[2]^[3]

內容

美國憲法第十四修正案第一款規定：

“

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

”

其譯文如下：

“

所有出生於美國或歸化為加入美國國籍的人，無論居住於何地，在司法面前且遵守美國司法的管轄，都被視為是美國及所在州的公民，為美國的一分子。任何一州不得制定或執行，任何可能消減公民的特權和免除法定權利，或是解除美國公民資格的法律；在未經適正當的法律程序時，任何一州不得能剝奪人公民的生命、自由或財產；亦不得否認轄區內任何人在其治下受法律平等保護之權利。

”

影響

該條款被美國最高法院廣泛用於推翻各州歧視性法律和政策，著名案件例如：

布朗訴托皮卡教育局案（1954年）：部分州規定不同膚色的兒童進入不同學校，最高法院裁定這種規定侵犯了黑人兒童受法律平等保護的權利，推翻了由普萊西訴弗格森案所建立之隔離但平等的原則。
Loving夫婦訴弗吉尼亞案（Loving v. Virginia）（1967年）：最高法院裁定弗吉尼亞州禁止白人與非白人結婚的法律違反平等保護條款，正式容許跨種族婚姻。
羅訴韋德案（Roe v. Wade）：最高法院裁定美國的女性可以在懷孕期間的三個階段享有墮胎權。
1982年密西西比女子大學訴Hogan案（Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan）、1996年合眾國訴弗吉尼亞案（United States v. Virginia）：最高法院裁定設立只招收男性或女性的公立學校違反平等保護條款。
1992年美國計劃生育聯合會 v. 瓊斯案（Planned Parenthood v. Casey）：最高法院肯定並重申了墮胎權，惟容許各州進行不同的法律限制，包括等待期限，這為各州的反墮胎法開綠燈。
勞倫斯訴德克薩斯州案（2003年）：裁決同性性行為在全國非刑事化。
美國訴溫莎案（2013年）：裁決限制婚姻在一男一女，禁止各州承認同性婚姻的捍衛婚姻法案違憲。
奧貝格費爾訴霍奇斯案（2015年）：裁決禁止同性婚姻的法律違憲，容許同性婚姻在全美國合法化。

註釋

^ Failinger, Marie. Equal protection of the laws. Schultz, David Andrew (編). The Encyclopedia of American Law. Infobase: 152–53. 2009. ISBN 9781438109916. （原始內容存檔於July 24, 2020）. The equal protection clause guarantees the right of "similarly situated" people to be treated the same way by the law.
^ Fair Treatment by the Government: Equal Protection. GeorgiaLegalAid.org. Carl Vinson Institute of Government at University of Georgia. July 30, 2004 [July 24, 2020]. （原始內容存檔於March 20, 2020）. The basic intent of equal protection is to make sure that people are treated as equally as possible under our legal system. For example, it is to see that everyone who gets a speeding ticket will face the samEpocedures [sic!]. A further intent is to ensure that all Americans are provided with equal opportunities in education, employment, and other areas. [...] The U.S. Constitution makes a similar provision in the Fourteenth Amendment. It says that no state shall make or enforce any law that will "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law." These provisions require the government to treat persons equally and impartially.
^ Equal Protection. Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School. [July 24, 2020]. （原始內容存檔於June 22, 2020）. Equal Protection refers to the idea that a governmental body may not deny people equal protection of its governing laws. The governing body state must treat an individual in the same manner as others in similar conditions and circumstances.

參見

美國憲法第十四修正案
美國憲法第十五修正案
美國憲法第十九修正案
美國憲法第二十四修正案
法律之前人人平等
美國黑人民權運動
肯·派克斯頓（英語：Ken Paxton）(Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr.)
傑伊·塞庫洛（英語：Jay Sekulow）(Jay Alan Sekulow)
萊斯訴柯林斯案（英語：Rice v. Collins）(Rice v. Collins)

外部連接

Original Meaning of Equal Protection of the Laws （頁面存檔備份，存於互聯網檔案館）, Federalist Blog
Equal Protection: An Overview （頁面存檔備份，存於互聯網檔案館）, Cornell Law School
Equal Protection （頁面存檔備份，存於互聯網檔案館）, Heritage Guide to the Constitution
Equal Protection (U.S. law) （頁面存檔備份，存於互聯網檔案館）, Encyclopædia Britannica
Naderi, Siavash. 「The Not So Definite Article （頁面存檔備份，存於互聯網檔案館）」, Brown Political Review (November 16, 2012).

Template:Equal protection and criminal procedure（英語：Template:Equal protection and criminal procedure）

[1] Failinger, Marie. Equal protection of the laws. Schultz, David Andrew (編). The Encyclopedia of American Law. Infobase: 152–53. 2009. ISBN 9781438109916. （原始內容存檔於July 24, 2020）. The equal protection clause guarantees the right of "similarly situated" people to be treated the same way by the law.

[2] Fair Treatment by the Government: Equal Protection. GeorgiaLegalAid.org. Carl Vinson Institute of Government at University of Georgia. July 30, 2004 [July 24, 2020]. （原始內容存檔於March 20, 2020）. The basic intent of equal protection is to make sure that people are treated as equally as possible under our legal system. For example, it is to see that everyone who gets a speeding ticket will face the samEpocedures [sic!]. A further intent is to ensure that all Americans are provided with equal opportunities in education, employment, and other areas. [...] The U.S. Constitution makes a similar provision in the Fourteenth Amendment. It says that no state shall make or enforce any law that will "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law." These provisions require the government to treat persons equally and impartially.

[3] Equal Protection. Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School. [July 24, 2020]. （原始內容存檔於June 22, 2020）. Equal Protection refers to the idea that a governmental body may not deny people equal protection of its governing laws. The governing body state must treat an individual in the same manner as others in similar conditions and circumstances.

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