Civil Liberties The case in front of this court presents us with an interesting query. The appellant, Ms. Rachel Berger, contends that the state in question violates her equal protection rights by not providing funds for people who can not pay the amount needed to acquire a required transcript for an appeal. In order to determine the validity of her claim, one must deal with the question of whether the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th amendment bans discrimination against the poor. The writers of this part of the amendment in 1868 acted in response to the states not granting citizen rights to the former slaves. It remains inconclusive if the framers intended for this claus