The Lochner v New York case was a case that took place in 1905 that is thought to be one of the most historic cases in American history. In this case, Joseph Lochner, an employer, argued that a New York law regulating the amount of hours a baker could work was unconstitutional, since it violated his civil rights of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." In the end, the court decided in a 5-4 ruling that the Bakeshop Act was unconstitutional.
The Bakeshop Act was passed by the New York state legislation in 1895, and one of its main points was that bakers would only be allowed to work 10 hours per day and 60 hours per week. However, many bakers and employers opposed this law because some bakers wanted to work more in order to earn more money, and employers wanted to work bakers for longer to increase business. These people pointed to the 14th amendment, which gave them the freedom to contract for labor, as they felt this right was violated.
Since the court ruled that the Bakeshop Act was unconstitutional, it was removed as a law. Although this was applauded by bakers and employers, organized labor saw this as more proof that the Supreme Court was very pro business, but an enemy of the working people by not upholding laws that would help them.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Lochner-v-New-York#ref1182114
https://kids.laws.com/lochner-v-new-york
I wonder how many people during that time period have questioned whether or not the law is right, but just sat there and waited until someone brave enough to speak what has been on their mind. I doubt the fact that only bakers wanted to work overtime. Also wouldn't there be a loophole if the bakery was a family business? They created the shop, so that means they can mess with the hour logs by doing shifts, and wouldn't this catch on rather quickly?
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