Morehead v. New York ex rel. Tipaldo
Morehead v. New York ex rel. Tipaldo is a significant Supreme Court case from the 1930s, which addressed the constitutionality of minimum wage laws aimed at protecting women and children. The Court narrowly ruled by a 5-4 decision that a New York law setting minimum wages for these groups infringed upon the right of employees to freely contract for work, as guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause. This ruling sparked widespread dissent and criticism, with an overwhelming majority of newspaper editorials opposing the decision, including pushback from the Republican Party. The case highlighted the tension between labor rights and individual contractual freedoms during a time when economic protections for vulnerable workers were gaining traction. The ruling was ultimately overturned in the later case West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish in 1937, which marked a shift toward upholding minimum wage laws. The dissenting opinions from Justices Hughes, Stone, Brandeis, and Cardozo reflected a growing concern for worker protections amidst a changing economic landscape. Overall, Morehead v. New York ex rel. Tipaldo remains a pivotal moment in the discussion of labor rights and constitutional law in the United States.
Morehead v. New York ex rel. Tipaldo
Date: June 1, 1936
Citation: 298 U.S. 587
Issue: Freedom of contract
Significance: The Supreme Court, in this unpopular decision, overturned 1930’s minimum-wage legislation.
By a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court struck down a 1930’s New York law that established minimum wages for women and children. Writing for the Court, Justice Pierce Butler said the law violated the freedom of employees to contract for work established by the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This was a terribly unpopular decision that drew heavy criticism from almost all newspapers in the country that commented on the case. Of more than three hundred editorials, only ten supported the Court. Even the Republican Party criticized the Court’s decision, which was overturned in West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish (1937). Justices Charles Evans Hughes, Harlan Fiske Stone, Louis D. Brandeis, and Benjamin N. Cardozo dissented.

