Economic and Labor Rights
State constitutions include provisions protecting economic liberty, or the right to engage in work without undue interference; property rights, including protections against takings; and provisions that protect workers’ rights. Florida’s constitution, for example, protects the right “to be rewarded for industry,” and Montana protects the right to pursue “life’s basic necessities.” Illinois’s constitution protects workers’ right to organize and bargain collectively. Washington’s privileges and immunities clause has been used to strike down a law excluding dairy workers from overtime pay.
State supreme courts hear challenges related to business regulations and occupational licensing requirements, dangerous work environments, inadequate wages and hour requirements, collective bargaining rights, public employee benefits, and other issues.
Filters
What the Framers Really Thought About Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Debates from state constitutional conventions show delegates expected protections for inalienable rights to have teeth.
Fight Over Employment Status of Uber and Lyft Drivers Moves Through State Courts
Ridehail and delivery drivers are pushing for greater workplace protections in California and Massachusetts.
What the SCOTUS Term Means for State Courts
Some of the Court’s most important holdings — including on abortion, gun restrictions, and presidential immunity — have implications for state courts and constitutions.
A Conversation with Justice Clint Bolick of the Arizona Supreme Court
The justice talked about the challenges facing state courts and what makes the state constitution unique.
Oklahoma Supreme Court Rejects Reparations for Tulsa Race Massacre
The decision is the latest — and perhaps final — blow to the massacre’s two remaining survivors in their decades-long quest for justice.
Hawaii Expands Due Process Rights of Unhoused People
The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the state constitution requires the government to hold a hearing before seizing and destroying the belongings of people living on public land.
Takings Clause Victory Would Not Fix Michigan’s Tax Foreclosure System
Cases challenging the constitutionality of government profits from foreclosure sales distort real sources of injustice.
What’s Next for Marijuana Legalization in Florida
Even if Florida voters pass an initiative allowing recreational marijuana, lawmakers may try to limit the right.