Final answer:
The 'prima facie' provision in Virginia v. Black presumed 'intent to intimidate' from cross burning, raising important First and Fourteenth Amendment issues in relation to equal protection and due process.
Step-by-step explanation:
The prima facie provision of the Virginia law at issue in Virgnian v. Black allowed jurors to presume intent to intimidate when an individual burned a cross. This presumption raised questions related to First Amendment freedoms, as well as the Fourteenth Amendment, which addresses equal protection under the law and due process. The Supreme Court has historically dealt with cases surrounding these amendments, assessing whether certain laws or practices, such as excluding jurors based on race or ethnicity, violate constitutional rights and protections.
Specifically, the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits discrimination based on race, and it has been interpreted to require the most rigid scrutiny of laws that curtail civil rights based on racial classification. The equal protection clause has been central in landmark decisions that sought to dismantle racially biased laws and practices, including those involving jury selection criteria and hate crime legislation.