Equal protection under the law is one of the clauses in the Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868 during the Reconstruction Era. The privileges and immunities clause ensures that all citizens enjoy the same rights in each state.Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania because of the race or ethnicity of the individual. 00c129v. The Equal Protection Clause requires each state to provide equal protection under the law to all people, including non-citizens, within its jurisdiction. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Amendment IX (1791). The Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause requires the United States government to practice equal protection. The Equal Protection Clause is part of the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.