Story perspectives

Supreme Court Upholds States' Police Powers in Public Health

1/29/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Supreme Court reaffirmed that states hold police powers to regulate public health, safety, and morals.
In the Lochner case, the Court distinguished legitimate regulations from laws that amount to class legislation.
Justice Peckham noted earlier rulings upheld miners' hour limits for health, contrasting them with Lochner's lack of a public welfare basis.
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.'s dissent echoed this view, stressing the broad scope of state police powers.

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Story summary

The Supreme Court reaffirmed that states hold police powers to regulate public health, safety, and morals.
In the Lochner case, the Court distinguished legitimate regulations from laws that amount to class legislation.
Justice Peckham noted earlier rulings upheld miners' hour limits for health, contrasting them with Lochner's lack of a public welfare basis.
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.'s dissent echoed this view, stressing the broad scope of state police powers.