Morehead v. New York ex rel. Tipaldo (1900)
- Docket
- 838
- Decided
- 1900-1940-
Summary
Question: Does the law violate the liberty protected by due process of the Fourteenth Amendment? Conclusion: Yes, the law is unconstitutional. The right of employers and employees to make contracts for wages in return for work "is part of the liberty protected by the due process clause." The state could not interfere with such contracts. The decision was so at odds with current thinking that national conventions of both political parties explicitly called for its repudiation. Within a year, the Court took a dramatic reversal of course.