Lochner v. New York: Opening Pandora's Box

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PragerU

Non-profit, Self-improvement, Education, Business, History

4.7 • 6.8K Ratings

🗓️ 9 June 2025

⏱️ 6 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How could expanding workers’ rights trigger a Pandora’s box of legal activism? Robert George, Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, breaks down Lochner v. New York (1905)—the landmark Supreme Court case on labor laws and constitutional liberty that sparked a national debate over the limits of government power, individual rights, and judicial activism. Discover why this century-old decision still fuels controversy in America’s legal and political system today. Get all our content ad-free on PragerU.com or download the PragerU app: https://l.prageru.com/45GvWlu Follow PragerU on social media: YouTube Instagram X/Twitter Facebook Rumble Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:31.6	It's the job of the Supreme Court to interpret and apply the Constitution to cases before it.
0:39.0	It's not the job of the Supreme Court to rewrite the Constitution. That's the lesson of Lochner v. New York in 1905, one of the most
0:46.2	controversial Supreme Court decisions in American history. Joseph Lockner owned a bakery in Utica,
0:52.0	New York. Like many bakeries at the turn of the 20th century,
0:55.7	his shop was in the basement of a tenement. Workers toiled for long hours in hot, often unsanitary
1:01.3	conditions, near ovens and other dangerous equipment. To protect bakery workers, the state of New York
1:07.7	enacted a reform law in 1895. In addition to enforcing new standards of cleanliness,
1:14.3	the law which passed the legislature unanimously, limited the time an employee could work in a bakery
1:19.8	to 60 hours a week. Mr. Lochner, however, wanted his employees to work more than 60 hours,
1:26.8	and he found workers who would take
1:29.0	the jobs he offered on those terms. From Lochner's perspective, New York was violating his
1:34.8	and his workers' right to agree to terms of employment acceptable to both sides. New York
1:41.6	argued that as a state it possessed what the law calls police powers to protect public health, safety, and morals.
1:49.1	Its legislation was designed to protect workers' health and safety and prevent their being exploited.
1:55.4	Mr. Lochner was convicted in a state trial court and fined $50.
1:59.9	He brought an appeal and lost.
2:02.6	He appealed again and lost again.
2:05.8	Finally, he took his case to the Supreme Court of the United States.
2:10.1	In April 1905, the justices decided, five to four, in his favor, validating the New York law.
2:19.3	Justice Rufus Peckham wrote the opinion for the majority.
	...

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