Pennsylvania maintained its blue laws after becoming a state, even though its constitution guaranteed freedom of religion. In an 1848 case in which a Seventh-day Baptist observed Saturday as a Sabbath and was fined for Sunday work, the state Supreme Court ruled that blue laws were civil laws that did not violate religious freedom. A few years later, a subsequent law allowed churches to put chains on highways to prevent traffic near them on Sunday, according to a Chicago Tribune History of Blue Laws, which noted, “Other states had blue laws, but Pennsylvania was wrapped in them.” But unlike other blue laws, no one is in a hurry to overturn this law. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court declared most of the old blue laws unenforceable in 1978. But Republican Jonathan Fritz of Wayne County, who is involved in the repeal process, pointed out that they are still in the books. The sumptuous laws established social castes of superiors and subordinates. Church elders and civil leaders were superior, the governed were inferior. It was an interpretation of the commandment “Honor thy mother and thy father.” The commandment made children inferior to their parents, who were obliged to follow their instructions. It also obliged parents to properly protect and educate their children. The sumptuous laws extended these mutual obligations to the community. Leaders should be offered respect and obedience to the point of reverence.
In return, their subordinates should receive appropriate guidance and, if necessary, discipline. The sale of motor vehicles is prohibited on Sundays. The distribution of alcohol is prohibited on Sundays from 2pm to 11am. The sale of spirits is not permitted on Sundays from 2 a.m. to noon. Before 1967, the law was stricter, as all shops were closed from 12 o`clock in the morning. Sunday until 12:00 Monday. [55] In 1967, amendments clarified which businesses such as pharmacies, hospitals and restaurants were exempt. The changes were made after a snowstorm in 1966 that prevented citizens from purchasing certain goods and services needed due to the Blue Law. [56] The Act was amended again in 1991 to allow stores to open at noon on Sundays. On March 19, 2019, the state legislature passed a law abolishing the blue law in the state.
The bill was subsequently signed into law by Governor Doug Burgum on March 25, 2019. [57] The Blue Law expired on August 1, 2019 and the first Sunday with legal morning sales was August 4, 2019. August 2019. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court finally struck down the state`s blue laws in 1978 because the many exceptions were arbitrary and therefore discriminatory against certain companies. The court said lawmakers could reinstate some Sunday bans if they were enforced uniformly. Maine was the last New England state to repeal laws prohibiting department stores from opening on Sundays. Laws against the Sunday opening of department stores were repealed in 1990 by referendum. Recent efforts to overturn laws preventing auto dealerships from opening Sunday failed in the Maine Legislative Committee.
[17] MP Don Pilon de Saco led efforts to get rid of laws that prohibit car dealerships from opening on Sundays. Hunting is prohibited on Sundays. [18] In Texas, the sale of alcoholic beverages differs in two different ways (and therefore the blue laws vary): After the adoption of the United States Constitution, the thirteen former colonies adopted state constitutions in accordance with the new federal law. Almost all colonial blue laws were no longer enforced, but municipalities and states passed new laws, almost all aimed at protecting the Sabbath from worldly activities. In the lands north and west of the Ohio River, there were few until the late 19th century, although in the Old South, states almost immediately passed blue laws. The temperance movement led communities and counties to pass liquor laws that initially limited drinking on the Sabbath and extended to the rest of the week. In 1961, Maryland`s blue laws made it illegal to “all work, business, and other business on Sundays.” There have been some exceptions. State law allowed the sale of “food, car and boat accessories, flowers, toiletries, hospital supplies, and souvenirs.” This year, in a case involving a department store open on Sundays, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Maryland`s law and, indeed, all of the country`s blue laws, stating that they “have nothing to do with the establishment of religion as those words are used in the Constitution.” Since then, state-level lawsuits have eliminated blue laws in many states. The blue laws requiring stores to close on Sundays were especially harsh on American Jews who observed the Sabbath on Saturdays, closing their businesses and suspending work.
The blue laws required them in almost all cases to comply with the prescribed Sunday closure. In the 1950s, 46 of the 48 states had blue laws controlling Sunday commerce, and few allowed some businesses to choose between closing on Saturdays or Sundays. Christian businesses generally rejected the choice because they risked losing customers permanently by closing on Sundays when Jewish shops opened. When Pennsylvania voters overturned the blue law that had prevented Sunday`s game, the Steelers` next game was scheduled for the following Sunday.