Dodge v. Board of Ed. of Chicago

The appellants challenge an Act of Illinois which they assert impairs the obligation of contracts in contravention of Article I, Section 10, of the Constitution of the United States and deprives them of a vested right without due process contrary to the Fourteenth Amendment. The statute decreased the amounts of annuity payments to retired teachers in the public schools of Chicago.

Since 1895 the State has had legislation creating a teachers’ pension and retirement fund, originally the fruit of teachers’ contributions and gifts or legacies, but later augmented by allotments from interest…