Colorado Amendment 2 violates the Equal Protection Clause

E390637

Colorado Amendment 2 violates the Equal Protection Clause is the central constitutional holding in Romer v. Evans, where the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Colorado measure that barred legal protections for gay, lesbian, and bisexual people.

All labels observed (1)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States constitutional law principle ⓘ
constitutional holding ⓘ
legal doctrine ⓘ
announcedInCase Romer v. Evans ⓘ
appliesTo Colorado Amendment 2 ⓘ
articulatedBy Justice Anthony Kennedy ⓘ
linked to: Anthony M. Kennedy
basedOn Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment ⓘ
branchOfLaw civil rights law ⓘ
constitutional law ⓘ
centralHoldingOf Romer v. Evans ⓘ
citedIn cases challenging laws motivated by animus ⓘ
subsequent LGBT rights litigation ⓘ
clarifies scope of equal protection for sexual minorities ⓘ
constitutionalLevel federal constitutional law ⓘ
constitutionalProvisionInterpreted Equal Protection Clause ⓘ
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ
decisionDate 1996 ⓘ
geographicScope State of Colorado ⓘ
linked to: Colorado
heldByCourt Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ
historicalContext 1990s LGBT rights backlash ⓘ
influenced doctrine on laws motivated by animus ⓘ
later equal protection jurisprudence on sexual orientation ⓘ
involves local antidiscrimination ordinances ⓘ
state constitutional amendment ⓘ
jurisdiction United States ⓘ
legalEffect invalidated Colorado Amendment 2 ⓘ
prohibits states from singling out gay, lesbian, and bisexual people for broad legal disabilities ⓘ
limits state power to withdraw antidiscrimination protections from a targeted group ⓘ
majorityOpinionAuthor Justice Anthony Kennedy ⓘ
linked to: Anthony M. Kennedy
opposedByDissent Justice Antonin Scalia ⓘ
linked to: Antonin Scalia

Justice Clarence Thomas ⓘ
linked to: Clarence Thomas

Justice William H. Rehnquist ⓘ
protects bisexual people ⓘ
gay people ⓘ
lesbian people ⓘ
reasoningFeature law failed even rational basis review ⓘ
law imposed a broad and undifferentiated disability on a single named group ⓘ
law lacked a legitimate governmental purpose ⓘ
law was born of animosity toward a politically unpopular group ⓘ
reasoningStandard rational basis review ⓘ
relatedTo LGBT rights in the United States ⓘ
civil rights law ⓘ
sexual orientation discrimination ⓘ
sourceCaseCitation Romer v. Evans, 517 U.S. 620 (1996) ⓘ
linked to: Romer v. Evans
supportsPrinciple bare desire to harm a politically unpopular group is not a legitimate governmental interest ⓘ
government may not make a class of persons strangers to its laws ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Romer v. Evans → holding → Colorado Amendment 2 violates the Equal Protection Clause ⓘ