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The Promise of America’s Forgotten Labor Law

Adopted in 1932, the Norris-LaGuardia Act stripped federal courts of jurisdiction to enjoin labor strikes, outlawed yellow dog contracts, and recognized the “freedom of labor” as a fundamental right of all workers. Given threats to the current system of labor rights protection — as well as unions’ increasing willingness to take an active role in addressing controversial political issues — this often overlooked law is primed to take on new relevance in coming years.