Lochner v. New York
Lochner v. New York, (1905), was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States. The Court ruled a New York State law that set the maximum numbers of hours bakers could work per week was unconstitutional. The Court held that the right of a person to make a contract as a part of his or her business is a liberty protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. With few exceptions this included the right to buy and sell labor. The decision was controversial and it made the Supreme Court an adversary to legislatures for over 30 years. Repeatedly, the Court struck down laws that regulated labor saying they violated the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This was called the "Lochner Era"; so-named for this decision.