Williamson v. Lee Optical of Oklahoma, Inc.

An Oklahoma law barred anyone but a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist from fitting lenses or putting old lenses into new frames without a prescription. Lee Optical (plaintiff) sued the enforcing official Williamson (defendant), claiming the law violated due process and equal protection. The district court upheld the ban on unlicensed eye exams but struck down the prescription requirement for simply placing old lenses in new frames, reasoning that task posed no real health risk. Williamson appealed to the Supreme Court.

Whether a state may constitutionally require a prescription before an optician fits lenses, consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses.