West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish

West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish, 300 U.S. 379 (1937), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court.

Elsie Parrish, a chambermaid at the West Coast Hotel in Washington, was paid less than the state minimum wage. She sued to recover the difference. The hotel argued that the Washington minimum wage law violated the Due Process Clause by interfering with liberty of contract, relying on Adkins v. Children’s Hospital.

Significance

Chief Justice Hughes’s 5-4 opinion upheld the minimum wage law and explicitly overruled Adkins. The Court held that the Due Process Clause does not prevent the government from regulating wages to protect workers’ health and well-being. Liberty of contract is not absolute and must yield to reasonable regulation in the public interest. This decision marked the definitive end of the Lochner era and signaled the Court’s acceptance of New Deal economic regulation. Justice Roberts’ decisive vote made this the ‘switch in time that saved nine.’

Category

US Federal Case Law