LOCHNER V. NEW YORK Meaning and
Definition
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Lochner v. New York refers to a landmark legal case that took place in the United States in 1905. The case involved the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause and its impact on state regulation of the working conditions of employees.
In the Lochner v. New York case, the Supreme Court examined a New York law that limited the number of hours that bakery employees could work each day to ten hours and 60 hours per week. The law aimed to protect the health and wellbeing of workers. However, Joseph Lochner, a bakery owner, challenged the law, arguing that it violated his liberty to contract as well as his employees' right to work.
The Supreme Court's decision in Lochner v. New York is notable for establishing the "Lochner era" in constitutional jurisprudence. The Court's majority held that the New York law infringed upon the due process rights of employers and employees to freely enter into labor contracts, thus violating the Fourteenth Amendment. This decision highlighted a strong judicial protection of economic liberty and limited role of legislatures in regulating the economy.
The Lochner case has been highly criticized by legal scholars and historians for its prioritization of economic interests over social welfare and the balancing of labor and employer rights. It has been seen as a symbol of an era when the Supreme Court invalidated various socioeconomic regulations aimed at improving workers' conditions. The Lochner era eventually came to an end with the Court's shift to a more deferential approach to legislative regulations during the New Deal era in the 1930s.
