Kentucky Supreme Court to review Louisville’s minimum wage

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – The Kentucky Supreme Court will decide whether Louisville’s new minimum wage law is legal.

The Louisville Metro Council voted last year to raise the minimum wage in Kentucky’s largest city to $9 an hour by 2017. The Kentucky Restaurant Association sued the city to try and block the increase, arguing it would hurt business.

A state appeals court upheld the minimum wage law in June. The minimum wage in Louisville increased 50 cents on July 1 to $7.75 per hour.

Louisville was the first city in Kentucky to raise the minimum wage, bypassing the state legislature, which has refused to pass similar proposals. Other local governments have also bucked the state legislature by passing local laws banning closed union shops. Those laws are also being challenged in court.