A system includes a power supply source and a power control circuit coupled to the power supply source, in which the power control circuit includes a pass field-effect transistor (FET). The system also includes a short-to-ground protection circuit coupled to an output of the pass FET. The short-to-ground protection circuit includes a sense circuit configured to detect when a magnitude and a change rate of a voltage drop at the output of the pass FET is greater than respective thresholds. The short-to-ground protection circuit also includes a control node at the output of the sense circuit. The sense circuit is configured to induce a control current at the control node in response to the magnitude and the change rate of a voltage drop at the output of the pass FET being greater than respective thresholds. The control current is used to turn off the pass FET.