The issue that went before the court was if the Supreme Court had jurisdiction to hear cases on appeal from state …show more content…
The Court flatly declared that the “Constitution does not speak of freedom of contract” and that such a freedom is thus “a qualified, and not an absolute, right” under the Fourteenth Amendment. The court argued that while the Fourteenth Amendment bans arbitrary deprivation of life, liberty, and property by the state (or protects “procedural” due process, e.g., a right to a fair trial), it does not prohibit the states’ ability to “reasonably” regulate the terms of certain activities for the public good.17 They also ruled that setting the minimum wage was lawful by the state in that it was reasonable and not arbitrary to protect the health and welfare of workers. So the setting of a minimum wage meant that a guaranteed minimum would be paid and the employee was free to negotiate for higher wages if they so