A
blue law is a type of law, typically found in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, designed to enforce religious standards, particularly the observance of Sunday as a day of worship or rest, and a restriction on
Sunday shoppingSunday shopping refers to the ability of retailers to operate stores on Sunday, a day that Christian tradition typically recognizes as the Sabbath, a "day of rest". Rules governing shopping hours, such as Sunday shopping, vary around the world but some European nations continue to ban Sunday shopping...
. Most have been repealed, have been declared unconstitutional, or are simply unenforced, although prohibitions on the sale of
alcoholic beverageAn alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol . Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits....
s, and occasionally almost all commerce, on Sundays are still enforced in many areas. Blue laws often prohibit an activity only during certain hours and there are usually exceptions to the prohibition of commerce, like grocery and drug stores. In some places blue laws may be enforced due to religious principles, but others are retained as a matter of tradition or out of convenience.
Laws of this type are also found in non-Christian cultures such as Israel, where the day concerned is Saturday rather than Sunday, and Saudi Arabia, where the month of
RamadanRamadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and indulging in anything that is in excess or ill-natured; from dawn until sunset...
is involved.
In the
Cook IslandsThe Cook Islands are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. The fifteen small islands in this South Pacific Ocean country have a total land area of 240 square kilometres , but the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone covers 1.8 million square kilometres...
, blue laws were first written legislation, enacted by the
London Missionary SocietyThe London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
in 1827, with the consent of
arikiAlii is the hereditary chiefly or noble rank in traditional Hawaiian society. The alii class consisted of the high and lesser chiefs of the various realms in the islands. They governed with divine power called mana...
(chiefs). In
TongaTonga , officially the Kingdom of Tonga , an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprises 169 islands, 36 of which are inhabited, and stretches over a distance of about 800 kilometres in a north-south line...
, the
Vava'u CodeThe Vava'u Code was instituted in Vava'u, Tonga in 1839, by Tu'i Tonga George Tupou I. It contained the country's first ever written laws, and formed the bases of the first constitution of the Kingdom....
(1839) was inspired by
MethodistMethodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to Reverend John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement in the Anglican Church. His younger brother...
missionaryA missionary is a member of a religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith; someone who proselytizes. The word "mission" is derived from the Latin missioninimus A missionary is a member of a religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith;...
teachings, and was a form of blue law. In
NiueNiue is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. It is commonly known as the "Rock of Polynesia", and natives of the island call it "the Rock"....
, certain activities remain forbidden on Sunday, reflecting the country's
strong Christian heritageNiue was first settled by Polynesian sailors from Tonga around 900 AD. Further settlers arrived from Samoa around 1440 AD.Until the beginning of the eighteenth century, there appears to have been no national government or national leader in Niue. Before that time, chiefs and heads of family...
.
History
The first usage of the word
blue law may have been by the Reverend
Samuel PetersReverend Samuel Andrew Peters was a Connecticut Anglican clergyman and historian. A nephew, John Samuel Peters , served as Governor of Connecticut 1831-33...
(1735–1826) in his 1781 book
General History of Connecticut. He used it to describe various laws first enacted by
PuritanA Puritan of 16th and 17th-century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of worship and doctrine, as well as personal and group piety. Puritans felt that the English Reformation had not gone far enough, and that the Church of England was tolerant...
colonies in the 17th century, prohibiting certain business activities on specific days of the week (usually Sunday). Sometimes the sale of certain types of merchandise was prohibited, and in some cases all retail and business activity.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence to support the assertion that the blue laws were originally printed on blue paper. Rather, the word
blue was commonly used in the 18th century as a disparaging reference to rigid moral codes and those who observed them (e.g., "bluenoses",
blue moviesPornographic films are motion pictures with the purpose of promoting sexual arousal in the viewer, often featuring depictions of sexual activity. They appeared shortly after the creation of the motion picture in the early 1900s. Pornographic films have much in common with other forms of pornography...
). Moreover, although Reverend Peters claimed that the term
blue law was originally used by Puritan colonists, his work has since been found to be unreliable, and it is more likely that he simply invented the term himself. In any event, Peters never asserted that the blue laws were originally printed on blue paper, and this has come to be regarded as an example of
false etymologyA false etymology is any assumed or postulated etymology that is incorrect.Folk etymology, in its basic sense, refers to popularly held beliefs about the origins of specific words, especially where these originate in "common-sense" assumptions rather than serious research...
. Another version is that the laws were first bound in books with blue covers. (See related article: Blue Laws)
Southern and mid-western states also passed numerous laws to protect the (Sunday) Sabbath during the mid to late nineteenth century. Laws targeted numerous groups including saloon owners, Jews, Seventh-day Adventists, and non-religious peoples. These Sunday laws enacted at the state and local levels would sometimes carry penalties for doing non-religious activities on Sunday as part of an effort to enforce religious observance and church attendance. Numerous people were arrested for playing cards, baseball, and even fixing wagon wheels on Sunday. Some of these laws still exist today.
Many European countries still place strong restrictions on store opening hours on Sundays, an example being
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
's
LadenschlussgesetzIn the Federal Republic of Germany, the Ladenschlussgesetz or "Shop Closing Law" is the federal law regulating at which times retail stores were required to be closed to the public...
.
In Henry Taber's
Faith or Fact, he writes:
In
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
, for example, blue laws prohibited selling housewares such as pots, pans, and washing machines on Sunday until 1985. In
ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It may also be considered to be part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Colorado entered statehood in 1876 and was nicknamed the “Centennial State”...
,
IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
,
IndianaIndiana is a U.S. state, the 19
th admitted to the Union. It is located in the Great Lakes region, and with approximately 6.3 million residents, is ranked 16
th in population and 17
th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38
th in land area, and is the...
,
IowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland." It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of...
,
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
,
MaineThe State of Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is the northernmost portion of...
,
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
,
MinnesotaMinnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.2 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the...
,
MissouriMissouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
,
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
,
North DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America; on the Canadian border halfway between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. North Dakota is the 19th largest state by area in the U.S.; it is the 3
rd least populous, with just over 641,481 residents as...
,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
, and
WisconsinWisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. states. Located in the north-central United States, Wisconsin is considered part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the...
, car dealerships continue to operate under blue-law prohibitions in which an automobile may not be purchased or traded on a Sunday.
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
permits Sunday automobile sales only in the counties of
Prince George'sPrince George's County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, D.C. As of 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it had a population of 820,852 and was the wealthiest county in the nation with an African-American majority.The county was named for...
,
MontgomeryMontgomery County of the U.S. state of Maryland is situated just north of Washington, D.C. and southwest of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the nation, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years old who hold a post-graduate degree. The county seat and largest...
, and
HowardHoward County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Maryland, between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. It is considered part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area....
.
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
and
UtahUtah is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80 percent of Utah's 2,736,424 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering around Salt Lake City. In contrast, vast expanses of the state are nearly uninhabited, making...
prohibit car dealerships from operating over consecutive weekend days. In some cases these laws were created or retained with the support of those whom they affected, to allow them a day off each week without fear of their competitors still being open.
Many states still prohibit selling
alcoholAn alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol . Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits....
on Sunday, or at least before noon on Sunday, under the rationale that people should be in church on Sunday morning, or at least not drinking. At least one unusual feature of American culture—the ability to buy groceries, office supplies, and housewares from a drug store—can be traced to blue laws (under blue laws, drug stores are generally allowed to remain open on Sunday to accommodate emergency medical needs).
Blue laws may also prohibit retail activity on days other than Sunday. In
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
and
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
, for example, blue laws dating to the Puritans of the 17th century still prohibit most retail stores, including grocery stores, from opening on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The
Seventh-day Adventist ChurchThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ. It is the eighth largest international body of...
has always taken a stance against blue laws. Church members observe the Sabbath on Saturday thus conflicting with Sunday laws. In the early days of the church in the mid 1800s, many Adventists in America were imprisoned for a short time for working in their fields on Sunday.
Seventh-day Adventists believe that Sunday worship will be legislated nationwide in the United States, and eventually world wide. Historically this was introduced into Seventh-day Adventist beliefs during its conception. It was stated that the Catholic Church under the direction of the Pope will spearhead this legislation. It is believed that accepting this legislation — choosing to worship on Sunday vs. Saturday, and agreeing not to buy or sell on Sunday — is "taking the mark of the beast," the mark and the beast that is described in the book of Revelation in the Christian Bible. They believed persecution to the point of death will result from such legislation, and various Adventist-aligned ministries are known for their attempts to show the credulity of this belief today, despite statements by experts, Seventh-day Adventist leaders, and Seventh-day Adventist congressmen to the contrary. Some Adventists, in lieu of such statements, have opted for alternative views of the fulfillment of this prophecy.
Arizona
In the state of
ArizonaThe State of Arizona is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the four Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, and Scottsdale.Arizona was the 48th and...
, alcohol sales are not permitted between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. However, stores may not start selling alcohol until 10 a.m. on Sundays.
Arkansas
The sale of any "intoxicating alcoholic liquor" on Sunday is prohibited by state law. However, restaurants or hotels that have appropriate alcohol licenses and are in jurisdictions that voted to allow Sunday sales are allowed to serve alcohol on Sunday for on-premises consumption. The same rule applies to large attendance facilities.
Colorado
- The sale of alcohol was prohibited statewide in Colorado on Sundays until July 1, 2008.
- Car sales remain prohibited on Sundays.
Connecticut
Since the founding of the puritanical theological colony of
New HavenThe New Haven Colony was an English colonial venture in present-day Connecticut in North America from 1637 to 1662.- Quinnipiac Colony :A Puritan minister named John Davenport led his flock from exile in the Netherlands back to England and finally to America in the spring of 1637...
in 1638, Connecticut had some of the harshest blue laws in the country. Until the 1970s, no stores were allowed to open on Sundays, save Jewish-owned businesses, which had to be closed on Saturdays. To this day, liquor sales and hunting on Sundays are illegal. Originally stores were not allowed to sell liquor after 8 p.m. but recently stores have the option of staying open until 9 p.m. Bars and restaurants are forbidden to sell liquor after 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. On Friday and Saturday nights bars and restaurants can remain open until 2 a.m.
Georgia
Alcohol sales are generally prohibited on Sundays, with some exceptions made at the discretion of local governments. Cities and counties of sufficiently large populations may authorize Sunday alcohol sales by the drink at festivals, large events, and "eating establishments," which are defined as licensed establishments in which most revenue is generated through sales of prepared food. You are also not allowed to buy any type of alcohol past 11 PM on any other day although in most areas this law is generally ignored.
Illinois
Car sales are prohibited on Sundays.
Horse racing is prohibited on Sundays unless authorized by the local municipality.
Indiana
Off-premises alcohol sales are completely prohibited on Sundays. Restaurants and taverns generally still serve it. Additionally, alcohol sales are prohibited Christmas Day and election days until the polls close. Vehicle sales are also banned on Sundays.
Massachusetts
Most Off-premises alcohol sales were not permitted on Sundays until 2004. Exceptions were made in 1990 for municipalities that fell within 10 miles of the
New HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian province of...
or
VermontThe State of Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area. It has a population of 621,270, making it the second least-populated state...
border. Since 1992 cities and towns statewide were able to sell on Sundays from the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving to New Years Day. In both exceptions sales were not allowed before noon. Since the law changed in 2004, off-premises sales are now allowed anywhere in the state, with local approval, after noon. Retail alcohol sales remain barred on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day (or the Monday following Christmas or New Year's Day should either fall on a Sunday). Hunting on Sunday is prohibited.
Massachusetts also has a "Day of Rest" statute that provides that all employees are entitled to one day off from work in seven calendar days. While this provision retains the blue-law enforcement of a religious practice (weekly rest) recast as a state-beneficial practice, it uncharacteristically neglects to specify any particular weekday.
Michigan
- The sale of alcohol is banned from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 2 a.m. to noon on Sundays. The only exception to this rule is New Year's Eve, in which case alcohol sales are permitted until 4 a.m. Alcohol sale is likewise banned from 9 p.m. Dec. 24 until 7 a.m. Dec. 26, or noon if Dec. 26 falls on a Sunday. Specific localities may petition for exceptions for either on-site or off-site consumption.
- Additionally, vehicle sales are banned on Sunday in counties having a population of 130,000 or more. Vehicle dealers who keep the Sabbath from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday may operate on Sundays instead.
Minnesota
- The sale of alcohol in liquor stores is prohibited state-wide on Sundays.
- Car dealerships are not allowed to be open for sales on Sunday.
Mississippi
The sale of alcohol is prohibited in most of Mississippi on Sundays. Also, the sale of liquor is not allowed at all in nearly half of the state's counties.
Missouri
The sale of alcohol is prohibited from 1:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Alcohol sales on Sunday are allowed from 9:00 a.m. to midnight subject to an additional liquor license fee.
New Jersey
- In 1677, the General Assembly of East New Jersey
East Jersey, together with West Jersey, was a distinct, separately governed Province of New Jersey that existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. Its capital was located at Perth Amboy...
banned the "singing of vain songs or tunes" on the Sabbath.
One of the last remaining blue laws in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that covers virtually all selling is found in
Bergen CountyBergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 884,118, growing to 904,037 as of the Census Bureau's 2006 estimate. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
,
New JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, and to the east by the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, Westchester County, New York City, Long Island, and...
.
New York
Alcohol sales are not permitted between 4 AM and 8 AM on Sundays, although the window is being pushed up to 2 AM in certain areas.
North Carolina
- The sale of alcohol on Sundays is prohibited from 2 a.m. to 12 p.m. and on other days of the week from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m.
- Liquor stores (referred to as ABC stores) are closed on Sunday.
North Dakota
- All retail stores, excluding grocery stores and drug stores, must remain closed between the hours of midnight and noon Sundays.
- Car sales are prohibited on Sundays.
- Until 1992, all retail stores were to remain closed all day Sunday.
Ohio
Alcohol sales are barred from 2:30-5:30 am on Monday through Saturday (and on Sundays for beer). Wine and spirits sales are barred from 2:30 am–10:00 am (or 2:30 am–1:00 pm, depending on the license and local ordinances) on Sundays and require an additional license.
Oklahoma
It is illegal to sell packaged liquor (off-premises sales) on Sundays. Sales also are prohibited on Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Car dealerships are also closed on Sundays.
Oregon
Oregon was the first place in the U.S. to outlaw alcohol, prior to statehood, in 1844. The law was repealed in 1849. It then implemented prohibition again in 1916, prior to national prohibition. Today, liquor sales are conducted by state-licensed liquor stores; alcohol may be sold for on- or off-premises consumption from 7am to 2:30 a.m. daily.
Pennsylvania
- The sale of alcohol on Sundays was prohibited until 2003. Since then, alcohol may be purchased at bars and restaurants. Since 2005, hours of sales of malt and brewed beverages on Sundays depends on whether beer distributors have obtained a Sunday sales permit from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. For beer distributors without a Sunday sales permit, sales and delivery of malt or brewed beverages can occur from noon until 5:00 p.m. Some wine and spirits stores, which are operated by the state, are selectively open on Sundays.
- To this day, hunting is prohibited on Sundays.
- Car dealerships are also prohibited from being open on Sundays.
South Carolina
Blue laws in South Carolina were first enacted in colonial times, with Sunday being the prescribed day for Christians and Saturday the prescribed day for Jews. While blue laws are still in place throughout the state, counties and cities have the option of repealing most of them.
- As of today, South Carolina blue laws prohibit sporting events and non-essential businesses from operating on Sundays before 1:30 p.m. Many counties and towns in high-tourist areas have repealed this. Places such as gas stations and grocery stores are exempt as well.
- While there are no dry counties in South Carolina, most counties still prohibit Sunday off-premise beer and wine sales. Liquor stores must remain closed on Sundays. Cities and counties may hold a referendum to allow the sale of beer and wine off-premise on Sundays. Restaurants can obtain an exemption to serve on Sundays as well.
From 1950 until 1983, the Southern 500 auto race in Darlington was held on Monday (Labor Day) because of blue laws; a 1983 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman race at Darlington was 250 miles, not the traditional 200 miles, because it was run on the Sunday before the Southern 500. State blue laws mandate a race distance of 250 miles for Sunday races. Also, the inaugural Rebel 300 resulted in a fine for track president Bob Colvin for holding it on a Sunday after the Saturday before was rained out; ironically, the Rebel 500 run 50 years later in 2007 was pushed from Saturday to Sunday and run at 1 PM, with the 250-mile exemption in place.
The 1978
Cooper River Bridge RunThe Cooper River Bridge Run is an annual 10 kilometer one-way road running event held in the cities of Mount Pleasant and Charleston in South Carolina, on the first Saturday in April, unless it is the day before Easter Sunday, when the event is held on the last Saturday in March...
in Charleston was held on a Sunday, but drew complaints from churches; that led to the race being moved to Saturday in 1979, where it stands. The state's three marathons—in Greenville, Kiawah Island, and Myrtle Beach—are all held on Saturday. Greenville had been held on a Sunday in the first two years (2006-07) as it runs through the Furman University campus. However, complaints have led the third Spinx Run Fest marathon in 2008 being moved to Saturday.
Myrtle Beach has a problem holding a marathon on Sunday, since ten churches are on the marathon courses (listed in order of appearance on course). Eight of the ten churches (exceptions are churches on Mile 12 and 19) are on Kings Highway.
- Mile 9
- Kingsway Pentecostal Church
- Mile 11
- First Baptist Church
- Agape Christian Fellowship
- First United Methodist Church
- Mile 12
- Sandy Grove Baptist Church
- Mile 19
- Faith Presbyterian Church
- Mile 21
- Ocean View Baptist Church
- Mile 22
- St. Philips' Lutheran Church
- Mile 24
- St. Andrew's Catholic Church
- Trinity Episcopal Church
Tennessee
- Sale of liquor is prohibited on Sundays with the exception of restaurants and some hotels
- Likewise, all liquor stores are closed on Sunday
- Several Tennessee counties are dry counties
A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Hundreds of dry counties exist across the United States, although most commonly in the South...
(the ownership and operation of stores that sell liquor (anything stronger than beer or wine) is prohibited), and may not sell beer/wine until after noon on Sundays, if it is permitted at all.
Texas
- Beverages of 20% alcohol content or higher are prohibited from sale on Sunday with the exception of establishments that sell food
- Liquor stores closed statewide on Sundays
- Liquor stores open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday
- Beer and wine may be purchased at any open store until 11 p.m. Sunday
- Beer and wine may be purchased at any open store until midnight Monday through Friday.
- Beer and wine may be purchased at any open store until 1 a.m. Saturday.
- Last call at bars and clubs all days of the week is at 2 a.m.
- You can only buy beer and wine after 12:00 (noon) Sunday. The rest of the week it may be purchased at 7 a.m.
Utah
- Liquor stores are closed statewide on Sundays.
- Car lots are closed on either Saturday or Sunday, depending on the dealership.
- No alcohol served in restaurants without purchase of food.
- Only 4.0% or below beer available on tap.
- Ban on the sales of kegs.
Virginia
Blue laws were repealed in Virginia in 1988. However, some businesses (including the state owned and operated “ABC “ liquor stores & the Ukrops grocery store chain); still observe them to some extent. Both stores are closed on Sundays (although ABC stores are slowly starting to open on Sunday in larger cities, based on population).
Washington
Washington state's broad prohibition on Sunday business activity was repealed by the initiative process in 1966. The state's Liquor Control Board authorized Sunday liquor sales on a restricted basis in 1967, and in 1976 expanded the hours for those sales to the same as for other days of the week.
West Virginia
The sale of liquor is prohibited statewide on Sundays. Beer and wine may be purchased after 1 pm.
The sale of all alcohol is prohibited on election days.
Canada
In Canada, the Lord's Day Act, passed in 1906, prevents business transactions from taking place on Sundays. The constitutionality of this act was questioned in the case of
R. v. Big M Drug Mart Ltd.R. v. Big M Drug Mart Ltd., [1985] 1 S.C.R. 295, is a landmark decision by Supreme Court of Canada where the Court struck down the Lord's Day Act for violating section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms...
Calgary police officers witnessed several transactions at the Big M Drug Mart, all of which occurred on a Sunday. Big M was charged with a violation of the Lord's Day Act. A provincial court ruled that the Lord's Day Act was unconstitutional, but the Crown proceeded to appeal all the way to the
Supreme Court of CanadaThe Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian justice system...
. In a unanimous 6-0 decision, the Lord's Day Act was ruled as an infringement of the freedom of conscience and religion defined in section 2(a) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Ontario
Until 2006, in much of southern
OntarioOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
, it was illegal to hunt using a firearm on Sundays as part of the Lord's Day Act. The issue of whether or not to allow Sunday gun hunting has now been left up to each municipality to decide, many of them now allowing Sunday gun hunting.
Israel
Running most public transportation from Friday evenings to Saturday evenings is banned in Israel, at least as of the summer of 2008.
Court cases
The concept of a secular day of rest, not directly related to a religious day of rest, has been adduced as justification for retention of restrictions on commercial activity on Sunday.
The
Supreme Court of CanadaThe Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian justice system...
, in the case of
R. v. Big M Drug Mart Ltd.R. v. Big M Drug Mart Ltd., [1985] 1 S.C.R. 295, is a landmark decision by Supreme Court of Canada where the Court struck down the Lord's Day Act for violating section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms...
, [1985] (1 S.C.R. 295) ruled that the 1906
Lord's Day Act that required most places to be closed on Sunday did not have a legitimate secular purpose, and was an unconstitutional attempt to establish a
religiousA religion is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth...
-based closing law in violation of the
Canadian Charter of Rights and FreedomsThe Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada. It forms the first part of the Constitution Act, 1982...
. However, the court later concluded, in
R. v. Edwards Books and Art Ltd.R. v. Edwards Books and Art Ltd. [1986] 2 S.C.R. 713 is a leading Supreme Court of Canada decision on the constitutional validity of an Ontario provincial Sunday closing law...
, [1986] (2 S.C.R. 713) that Ontario's Retail Business Holiday Act, which required some Sunday closings, did not violate the Charter because it did not have a religious purpose.
The
Supreme Court of the United StatesThe Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States, and leads the federal judiciary. It consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justices, who are nominated by the President and confirmed with the "advice and consent" of the Senate...
held in its landmark case,
McGowan v. MarylandMcGowan v. Maryland, 366 U.S. 420 , was a United States Supreme Court case in which the court held that laws with religious origins are not unconstitutional if they have secular purpose.-Background:...
(1961), that
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
's blue laws violated neither the Free Exercise Clause nor the Establishment Clause of the
First Amendment to the United States ConstitutionThe First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the Congress from making laws "respecting an establishment of religion", prohibiting the free exercise of religion, infringing on the freedom of speech and infringing on the freedom of the...
. It approved the state's blue law restricting commercial activities on Sunday, noting that while such laws originated to encourage attendance at
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
churches, the contemporary Maryland laws were intended to serve "to provide a uniform day of rest for all citizens" on a secular basis and to promote the secular values of "health, safety, recreation, and general well-being" through a common day of rest. That this day coincides with the Christian Sabbath is not a bar to the state's secular goals; it neither reduces its effectiveness for secular purposes nor prevents adherents of other religions from observing their own holy days.
There were four landmark Sunday-law cases altogether in 1961. The other three were
Gallagher v. Crown Kosher Super Market of Mass., Inc., 366 U.S. 617 (1961);
Braunfeld v. BrownBraunfeld v. Brown, 366 U.S. 599 , was a case decided by the United States Supreme Court. In a 6-3 decision, the Court held that aPennsylvania law forbidding the sale of various retail products on Sunday was not an unconstitutional interference with religion as described in the First Amendment to...
, 366 U.S. 599 (1961);
Two Guys from Harrison vs. McGinley, 366 U.S. 582 (1961).
According to
KVIA-TVKVIA-TV is an ABC affiliate in El Paso, Texas. It broadcasts its digital signal on channel 7. It is owned by and was the flagship television station of the News-Press & Gazette Company of St. Joseph, Missouri before the company acquired KRDO-TV...
El Paso, in March 2006 Texas judges upheld the state Blue Law that requires car dealerships to close either Saturday or Sunday each weekend.
See also
- Desuetude
In law, desuetude is a doctrine that causes statutes, similar legislation or legal principles to lapse and become unenforceable by a long habit of non-enforcement or lapse of time. It is what happens to laws that are not repealed when they become obsolete...
- Dry county
A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Hundreds of dry counties exist across the United States, although most commonly in the South...
- Neo-prohibitionism
Neo-prohibitionism is the belief that the influence of alcohol in society should be reduced through legislation and policies which further restrict the sale and possession of alcohol in order to reduce average per capita consumption and change social norms to reduce its acceptability.-Use of the...
- Raines law
The Raines law was passed on March 23, 1896, by the New York State Legislature. It was nominally a liquor tax, but its intention was to curb the consumption of alcohol by imposing regulations....
- Sharia
Sharia is an Arabic word meaning ‘way’ or ‘path’. In Arabic, the collocation ‘Šarīʿat Allāh’ is traditionally used not only by Muslims, but also Christians and Jews, sometimes translating expressions such as Torat Elōhīm [תורת אלוהים] or ‘ho nómos toû theoû' '’...
- Sunday shopping
Sunday shopping refers to the ability of retailers to operate stores on Sunday, a day that Christian tradition typically recognizes as the Sabbath, a "day of rest". Rules governing shopping hours, such as Sunday shopping, vary around the world but some European nations continue to ban Sunday shopping...
- Theocracy
Theocracy is a form of government in which a god or deity is recognized as the state's supreme civil ruler, or in a higher sense, a form of government in which a state is governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided. In Common Greek, “theocracy” means a...
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