Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, are laws that restrict or ban some or all activities on specified days (most often on Sundays in the western world), particularly to promote the observance of a day of rest.[1] Such laws may restrict shopping or ban sale of certain items on specific days. Blue laws are enforced in parts of the United States and Canada as well as some European countries, particularly in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Norway, keeping most stores closed on Sundays.
The U.S. Supreme Court has held blue laws as constitutional numerous times, citing secular bases such as securing a day of rest for mail carriers,[2] as well as protecting workers and families, in turn contributing to societal stability and guaranteeing the free exercise of religion.[1][3][4] The origin of the blue laws also partially stems from religion, particularly the prohibition of Sabbath desecration in Christian Churches following the first-day Sabbatarian tradition. Both labor unions and trade associations have historically supported the legislation of blue laws.[1] Most blue laws have been repealed in the United States, although many states continue to ban selling cars and impose tighter restrictions on the sale of alcoholic drinks on Sundays.
- ^ a b c Goldberg, Steven (2000). Seduced by Science: How American Religion Has Lost Its Way. NYU Press. p. 106. ISBN 9780814731055.
- ^ Fuller, Wayne E. (October 1, 2010). Morality and the Mail in Nineteenth-Century America. University of Illinois Press. p. 93. ISBN 9780252091353.
- ^ Smith, Christian (2003). The Secular Revolution: Power, Interests, and Conflict in the Secularization of American Public Life. University of California Press. p. 319. ISBN 9780520230002.
- ^ O'Flaherty, Edward; Petersen, Rodney L.; Norton, Timothy A. (September 7, 2010). Sunday, Sabbath, and the Weekend: Managing Time in a Global Culture. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 167. ISBN 9780802865830.
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