The Supreme Court sanctioned labor injunctions in the 1895 Debs case.

Evidence

In 1895, a unanimous decision of the U.S. Supreme Court gave approval to the labor injunction. The case, In re Debs, came out a strike against the Pullman company in 1894. This major strike paralyzed the railroad lines, and President Grover Cleveland, in alarm, called out the troops. The attorney general also asked for an injunction against Eugene V. Debs, the union leader, calling on him to “desist … from … interfering with … the business of … the … railroads.” Debs refused to desist; he was charged with contempt, convicted, and sentenced to six months in jail. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction. The opinion, by Justice David Brewer, emphasized the sovereign power of the government, its right to protect its commerce, and its duty to deliver the mail. — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 3172

Categorization

• XREF: The factual anchor for the course’s treatment of the Pullman strike and injunction as instruments of federal power over labor.
• DEFINE: Defines the labor injunction as a chancery tool granting quick relief without jury.