What did the US Supreme Court case Muller v. Oregon change?

Answer 1

Muller v. Oregon, 208 US 412 (1908)

In Muller, the US Supreme Court upheld an Oregon state statute that limited the number of working hours for women "employed in any mechanical establishment, or factory, or laundry" to ten per day, holding that the state had a legitimate interest protecting women's health.

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Answer 2

Muller v. Oregon, 208 US 412 (1908)

In Muller, the US Supreme Court upheld an Oregon state statute that limited the number of working hours for women "employed in any mechanical establishment, or factory, or laundry" to ten per day, holding that the state had a legitimate interest protecting women's health.

The Court's decision was an extraordinary departure from their recent decision in Lochner v. New York, (1905) which overturned a New York state law limiting work hours for bakery employees to 60 hours per week on the grounds that it was unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment. In Lochner, the court declared the New York statute interfered with workers' right to freely negotiate the terms of their labor contracts with employers, a decision that was more of a victory for corporations than the working class.

Oregon retained future Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis to argue on their behalf. Brandeis submitted a 113-page brief that included medical and sociological data and expert testimony to support Oregon's right to regulate labor laws for women. The justices were persuaded by the information, and affirmed the state's right by creating an exception to their ruling in Lochner.

Justice Louis Brandeis served on the US Supreme Court from 1916 until his retirement in 1939.

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