---
title: Ga. Const. Art. I, Sec. I, Para. II. Protection to person and property; equal protection.
collection: code
id: ga-const:art-i-sec-i-para-ii
cite_as: Ga. Const. Art. I, Sec. I, Para. II
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date: 2016
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heading_path: CONSTITUTION OF THE / BILL OF RIGHTS / RIGHTS OF PERSONS
---

# Ga. Const. Art. I, Sec. I, Para. II. Protection to person and property; equal protection.

A constitution provision shown as in force is in force as printed in the volume. A court decision can make a printed provision unenforceable without changing the volume, and the volume does not record that.

Protection to person and property is the paramount duty of government and shall be impartial and complete. No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws.

## Cross References

Due process, Ga. Const. 1983, Art. I, Sec. I, Para. I. Taking of private property for public purposes, Ga. Const. 1983, Art. I, Sec. III, Paras. I, II, and Ga. Const. 1983, Art. III, Sec. VI, Para. III. General laws to operate uniformly throughout state, Ga. Const. 1983, Art. III, Sec. VI, Para. IV. Prohibition against discrimination in the extending of credit or the making of loans, T. 7, Ch. 6. Fair housing, § 8-3-200 et seq. Penalty for hiring applicant with criminal record, § 31-7-353. Age discrimination in employment, § 34-1-2. Sex discrimination in employment, T. 34, Ch. 5. Duty of common carriers to receive all passengers whom such carriers are able and accustomed to carry, § 46-9-130.

## Law Reviews

For article suggesting county unit system discriminates against classes of voters in violation of equal protection clause, see 14 Ga. B.J. 28 (1951). For article, ‘‘Personal Rights, Property Rights and Due Process: A Comparison of Constitutional Protection in the Georgia Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court,’’ see 9 Mercer L. Rev. 253 (1958). For article suggesting potential problems of discrimination in municipal annexation statutes, see 2 Ga. L. Rev. 35 (1967). For article on the effect on receiving government-issued licenses after a conviction based on a nolo contendere plea, see 13 Ga. L. Rev. 723 (1979). For survey article on constitutional law, see 34 Mercer L. Rev. 53 (1982). For survey article on local government law, see 34 Mercer L. Rev. 225 (1982). For survey article on torts, see 34 Mercer L. Rev. 271 (1982). For annual survey on constitutional law, see 36 Mercer L. Rev. 137 (1984). For article, ‘‘The Georgia Bill of Rights: Dead or Alive?,’’ see 34 Emory L.J. 341 (1985). For annual survey of law of business associations, see 38 Mercer L. Rev. 57 (1986). For article, ‘‘Regulating Business Activity by Means of the Substantive Due Process and Equal Protection Doctrines Under the Georgia Constitution: An Analysis and a Proposal,’’ see 3 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 1 (1987). For article, ‘‘Wheel of Fortune: A Critique of the ‘Manifest Imbalance’ Requirement for Race-Conscious Affirmative Action under Title VII,’’ see 43 Ga. L. Rev. 993 (2009).

For comment on Sams v. Olah, 225 Ga. 497, 169 S.E.2d 790 (1969) as to the constitutionality of §§ 15-19-30 through 15-19-34, see 21 Mercer L. Rev. 355 (1969). For comment on City of Atlanta v. Mapel, 121 Ga. App. 567, 174 S.E.2d 599 (1970), as to municipal corporation’s negligence liability for injuries sustained at municipal golf courses, see 22 Mercer L. Rev. 608 (1971). For comment on Deal v. Seaboard C.L.R.R., 236 Ga. 629, 224 S.E.2d 922 (1976), see 25 Emory L. J. 983 (1976). For comment on Crim v. McWhorter, 242 Ga. 863, 252 S.E.2d 421 (1979), see 31 Mercer L. Rev. 341 (1979).

## 1976 Constitution.

Art. I, Sec. II, Para. III.

## § 17-10-30(b) Did Not Involve Fundamental Right.

Defendants equal protection challenge under U.S. Const., amend. XIV and Ga. Const. 1983, Art. I, Sec. I, Para. II failed since the defendants were similarly situated to the defendants against whom the state sought the death penalty under one or more of the statutory aggravating circumstances as provided in O.C.G.A. § 17-10-30(b). The trial court did not err in refusing to apply strict scrutiny analysis in considering the defendants’ equal protection challenge on the basis that the punishment prescribed by the criminal statute involves an interference with a fundamental right. The proper inquiry was whether the behavior involved a fundamental right, and the obvious answer was that the behavior did not. Fair v. State, 288 Ga. 244, 702 S.E.2d 420 (2010).


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