California Supreme Court justices appeared reluctant Tuesday to toss out a key provision of Proposition 22, suggesting app-based drivers will continue to be classified as independent contractors and not employees entitled to legally mandated wages and benefits.

During oral arguments in San Francisco, the justices questioned whether the Legislature’s constitutional authority to create and enforce a workers’ compensation system trumps the voter-approved initiative that excludes Uber, Lyft and DoorDash drivers from the program that helps those injured on the job.