Holden v. Hardy

Holden v. Hardy, 169 U.S. 366 (1898), is a US labor law case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that a limitation on working time for miners and smelters was constitutional.
Facts.
A Utah state law limited the number of work hours for miners and smelters.
It was argued on October 21st, 1897 and decided on February 28th, 1898.
Judgment.
The Supreme Court, in a majority opinion by Henry Billings Brown, held the Utah law was a legitimate exercise of the police power. Such a law is legitimate if there is indeed a rational basis, supported by facts, for the legislature to believe particular work conditions are dangerous. It distinguish the case from laws imposing universal maximum hour rules, that were unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.