Equal Protection Clause

In 2022, the Supreme Court addressed whether Congress's exclusion of Puerto Rico residents from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program violated the Fifth Amendment. In an 8-1 decision in United States v. Vaello Madero, the Court held that it did not. The majority opinion reasoned that…

Delgado v. Bastrop Independent School District was a landmark federal court case in Texas that challenged the segregation of Mexican American students in public schools. Filed by Minerva Delgado and other parents with support from civil rights groups like LULAC and the American G.I. Forum, the case…

In Plyler v. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court held that Texas statutes and school‐district policies denying free public education to children not legally admitted into the United States violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court applied a rational‐basis standard and…

United States v. Brignoni-Ponce was a landmark Supreme Court case in which the Court unanimously held that Border Patrol agents cannot stop a vehicle near the U.S.-Mexico border based solely on the occupants’ apparent Mexican ancestry. They argued that doing so violates the Fourth Amendment’s…

Serna v. Portales Municipal Schools arose when a group of Mexican‑American families sued the Portales, New Mexico, school district. They sued them for denying Spanish‑surnamed children an equal educational opportunity, such as adequate bilingual and bicultural resources. The U.S. District Court for…

In a 5–4 vote, the Court held that the Constitution does not confer a fundamental right to education. They determined that a state system funding public schools primarily through local property taxes does not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This remains true even if…

In the case of Katzenbach v. Morgan, the Supreme Court significantly affirmed Congress's power under Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment. This ruling established Congress's authority to expand individual rights beyond judicial recognition. Specifically, the Court upheld Section 4(e) of…