Which amendment ensures due process and equal protection under the law?

The Fourteenth Amendment is pivotal in ensuring due process and equal protection under the law. Ratified in 1868, it provides that no state shall make or enforce any law that abridges 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.

This amendment is significant as it expanded the protections of the Bill of Rights to include not just the federal government but also state governments. The due process clause is critical for safeguarding individuals from arbitrary denial of life, liberty, or property, while the equal protection clause is essential for prohibiting discrimination by the government against individuals or groups based on inherent characteristics.

Other amendments touch on important rights and protections but do not encompass both due process and equal protection in the same way the Fourteenth Amendment does. For example, the First Amendment addresses freedoms related to speech, religion, and assembly, but does not specifically relate to due process and equal protection. Similarly, the Sixth Amendment guarantees rights related to criminal prosecutions, and the Eighth Amendment focuses on prohibitions against excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment. Thus, the Fourteenth Amendment