Lochner v. New York · ¶17

It was further urged on the argument that restricting the hours of labor in the case of bakers was valid because it-tended to cleanliness on the part of the workers, as a man was more apt to be cleanly when not overworked, and if cleanly then his “output” was also more likely to beso. What has already been said applies with equal force to this contention. We do not admit the reasoning to be sufficient to justify the claimed right of such interference. The State in that case would assume the position of a supervisor, or pater familias, over every act of the individual, and its right of governmental interference with his hours of labor, his hours of exercise, the character thereof, and the extent to which it shall be carried would be recognized and upheld. In our judgment it is not possible in fact to discover the connection between the number of hours a baker may work in the bakery and…

U. S. Reports, bound volume
U. S. Reports, volume 198, at 45 (Library of Congress) · transcription: Caselaw Access Project
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