Equality before the law

<p>Equality before the law, also known as equality under the law, equality in the eyes of the law, legal equality, or legal egalitarianism, is the principle that all people must be equally protected by the law. The principle requires a systematic <a href="/facts/Rule_of_law/BS8rbmel">rule of law</a> that observes <a href="/facts/Due_process/cbKduKzM">due process</a> to provide <a href="/facts/Equal_justice_under_law/2wrAsHfT">equal justice</a>, and requires <a href="/facts/Equal_protection/JKGNpM5o">equal protection</a> ensuring that no individual nor group of individuals be privileged over others by the law. Also called the principle of <a href="/facts/Isonomy/glv0CgRv">isonomy</a>, it arises from various <a href="/facts/Philosophy/zAH5PVD6">philosophical</a> questions concerning equality, fairness and justice. Equality before the law is one of the basic principles of some definitions of <a href="/facts/Liberalism/nj54a01U">liberalism</a>. The principle of equality before the law is incompatible with and does not exist within systems incorporating legal <a href="/facts/Slavery/IXX2S92u">slavery</a>, <a href="/facts/Indentured_servitude/M6Xac7fV">servitude</a>, <a href="/facts/Colonialism/kvqx2DaV">colonialism</a>, or <a href="/facts/Monarchy/Kg1vY7tt">monarchy</a>.
</p><p>Article 7 of the <a href="/facts/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights/8hsauJsB">Universal Declaration of Human Rights</a> (UDHR) states: "All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law". Thus, it states that everyone must be treated equally under the law regardless of <a href="/facts/Race_(human_classification)/cDPnrdXn">race</a>, <a href="/facts/Gender/LfjRHcJy">gender</a>, <a href="/facts/Human_skin_color/nkMestc6">color</a>, <a href="/facts/Ethnicity/XSp5l24t">ethnicity</a>, <a href="/facts/Religion/cxntrD0R">religion</a>, <a href="/facts/Disability/vr9BPUxo">disability</a>, or other characteristics, without <a href="/facts/Privilege_(social_inequality)/n5FuC777">privilege</a>, <a href="/facts/Discrimination/B2M2HqxR">discrimination</a> or <a href="/facts/Bias/geuh5KrE">bias</a>. The general guarantee of equality is provided by most of the world's national constitutions, but specific implementations of this guarantee vary. For example, while many constitutions guarantee equality regardless of race, only a few mention the right to equality regardless of nationality.
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Equality before the law open-in-new

Equality before the law