Legal Definitions - Muller v. Oregon (1908)

Muller v. Oregon (1908) was a case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court that dealt with whether a state could limit the amount of hours a woman could work while not also limiting the hours of men.

Curt Muller owned a laundry business and required a female employee to work more than ten hours in a single day. This conflicted with an Oregon law that allowed for a maximum of ten hour workdays for women who worked in mechanical establishments, factories, and laundries. Muller was convicted for violating this law and fined $10.

The example shows how Muller violated an Oregon law that limited the amount of hours a woman could work. This law was put in place to protect women from being overworked and to ensure their safety in the workplace.

The decision in Muller v. Oregon resulted in other state laws related to wages, work hours, and work conditions. The Court found that the law was constitutional, stating that the Oregon legislature had a compelling interest in protecting women. The decision was later overturned in the 1923 case of Adkins v. Children’s Hospital.