Question

In the case Lochner v. New York, who did the Supreme Court rule could determine the length of the workday?

Answer 1

The employers and employees 

Answer 2

Answer:

Employers and employees

Further details:

A law passed in 1895 in the state of New York mandated that bakery employees could not work more than 10 hours a day and not more than 60 hours in a week. A bakery owner named Joseph Lochner filed suit against the state, claiming the law was unconstitutional. In Lochner v. New York (1905), the Supreme Court's decision was based on the idea that such a law violated an employee's "freedom of contract." The majority of justices saw such a right implicit in the due process clause of the 14th Amendment, thinking that if employees agreed to work a heavy number of hours it was their right to do so.

In the time since the Lochner case, the Supreme Court has gone in the other direction, allowing laws that impose reasonable restrictions on businesses. An example would be West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish (1937), which upheld the constitutionality of a minimum wage law passed in Washington state.