The first blue law, although not called that at the time, was enacted in colonial Virginia in 1610, and it mandated church attendance (at both morning and afternoon services) on Sundays; a first-time offender lost his “provision and allowance for the whole week.” "Saturday is still the largest shopping day, but Sunday brings in the largest volume per hour," Curtis said. The two remaining counties in Maryland that have blue laws, Wicomico and Allegany, are scheduled to hold referendums on them this fall. Notebook. Selling packaged liquor is prohibited on Sundays. It is prohibited to buy, sell, or participate in a trade of motor vehicles on Sunday. Blue law also may ban shopping or ban sale of specific items on Sundays. Desktop notifications are on | Turn off, Get breaking news alerts from The Washington Post. People are not resting on Sundays anymore.". A: Virginia blue laws, which prohibited some stores from opening on Sundays, were struck down by the Virginia Supreme Court on Sept. 23, 1988. The sale of alcoholic beverages is entirely prohibited on Christmas Day. Draconian regulations which have so aroused the ire or the respect of moderns At the moment, I'm working on a book setting forth the history of so-called Sunday "blue laws." Now {for many stores} Sunday has become the most important day of the week . Before that, "Blue Laws" prohibited it. 1 Colony Laws of Virginia 1619-1640, Vol. But for many residents in Tidewater and southern parts of Virginia, Sunday shopping just isn't done. Car dealerships must close on either Saturday or Sunday, and have the option to determine which day. As a result of these changes, Virginia lawmakers amended the original laws numerous times, continually broadening the exemptions until currently more than 60 "industries and businesses" are permitted to open on Sunday and the statutes cover about only 20 percent of the work force, according to Justice Charles S. Russell, who wrote the majority opinion. Recently, however, the laws ran up against significant social changes, among them an increasing number of women working full time and shopping on the weekends. Certain New York counties have their own separate blue laws. Sunday has, in fact, become the most productive business day for Washington area stores, according to Garry R. Curtis, manager of the retail division of the Greater Washington Board of Trade. In Virginia, the last remnants of the blue laws to remain in effect was over hunting. . . Sunday alcohol sales are permitted between noon and 8pm. The 6-to-1 decision was prompted by a 1985 lawsuit in which six retail merchants and two development companies -- among them the Hechinger Co., K mart and Circuit City stores -- argued that Virginia's colonial-era laws had become a tool of "economic warfare" and no longer preserved a "day of rest," as they intended. Car dealerships are closed on Sunday. Liquor stores that choose to be open on Sundays are only allowed to operate between 11am and 6pm. By most accounts, blue laws got their name from the paper they were written on and later came to refer to laws on morality and prohibiting certain Sunday activities. "It's absolutely clear that the vast majority of the people like to shop on Sunday.". Story, Page B8.}. Blue law also may ban shopping or ban sale of specific items on Sundays. Professional sports cannot play games before 1pm on Sundays. But many people don’t know about these peculiar or outdated laws that still exist in Virginia. Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi have made Sunday closings a local option. {The court also relaxed a ban on books. Wine can be sold between 7am to midnight Monday through Saturday, and from midnight to 2am and noon until midnight on Sunday. Alcohol cannot be consumed on-premise between 3am and 10am on Sundays. Along with Hechinger Co., K mart and Circuit City stores, the other plaintiffs were Best Products Co., Rose's Stores, Zayre Corp. and the Benderson Development Co. S.L. It is legal for a male to have sex with an animal as long as it does not exceed 40 lbs. Gun hunting is prohibited between 9:30am and 12:30pm on Sundays. §32-1-102. ARTICLE 2. Blue laws requiring Sunday church attendance disappeared in the nineteenth century. The Commission was initially tasked with reviewing the Acts of Assembly, Code of Virginia, and administrative regulations to identify racially discriminatory language still on Virginia’s books and making recommendations to address laws that … North Carolina's blue laws began in 1716, with the passage of the Sabbath Observance Act. Liquor must be sold at specialized stores. In Blue Laws and Black Codes, Peter Wallenstein shows that laws were often changed not through legislative action or constitutional amendment but by citizens taking cases to state and federal courtrooms. Author: Erin Patterson As recently as 1982, 64 percent of the voters in Norfolk rejected a referendum proposing the laws' repeal. CITIZEN’S GUIDE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM PAGE PROGRAM PUBLICATIONS PHOTO GALLERY CAPITOL HISTORY HOW A BILL BECOMES LAW. Hunting of certain beasts was legal on Sunday, while others were not. Charter signed by King James on April 10, 1606. "As late as the 1960s, stores were generally closed except drug stores selling prescriptions. Today, alcoholic liquor can only be sold in specifically establishments between the hours of 9 am to 1 am. Hunting is illegal on Sundays. at 60-61, §VII.. 4 John Smith et al., A Map of Virginia. Numerous times voters in Virginia Beach and other jurisdictions have opposed repealing the blue laws. In Blue Laws and Black Codes,Peter Wallenstein shows that laws were often changed not through legislative action or constitutional amendment but by citizens taking cases to state and federal courtrooms. It is illegal for almost all businesses to be open on Thanksgiving. Virginia laws prohibiting Sunday shopping and dating back before the days of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were declared unconstitutional yesterday by the state Supreme Court. For many, the advent of malls also transformed shopping into a recreational pastime. 2 Id. Numerous times voters in Virginia Beach and other jurisdictions have opposed repealing the blue laws. Car dealerships are not allowed to be open or do business on Sundays anywhere in the state. The city of Paramus in Bergen County has stricter blue laws, which ban all type of work on Sundays except in grocery stores, pharmacies, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality workplaces. Not Many People Realize That These 14 Things Are Actually Illegal In Virginia. Then during the Revolutionary War their purpose grew more secular, becoming a means of providing a common day of rest "to prevent the physical and moral debasement which comes from uninterrupted labor," according to the 21-page opinion. Due largely to court rulings, for example, stores in Virginia are no longer required by "blue laws" to close on Sundays. And Sunday itself is not the day of church and family dinners that it once was. Sales and purchases. Mary Jordan is a Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent currently writing about politics. Nor could several birds, such as ducks and doves, nor turkeys. The first blue law in the American colonies was enacted in Virginia in 1617. While blue laws … Up until 2003, Delaware banned the sale of liquor on Sundays. Blue laws are enforced in parts of the United States and Canada as well as some … ... WEBMASTER HELPFUL LINKS. Car dealerships are closed on Sundays. Virginia established the first blue law in the American colonies in 1610. Alcohol sales are prohibited between 2am and 7am Monday through Saturday, and between 2am and either 10am or 12pm on Sundays depending on the county. Any retailer with a license can sell beer and wine for “off-premise consumption.” Beer can be sold from 7am to midnight Monday through Saturday, and from midnight to 1am and noon until midnight on Sunday. Virginia’s Blue Laws Still Prohibit Cohabitation, Oral Sex And Sex In A Car. Private facilities are given some exceptions, and must have hard-to-obtain licenses. July 15, 2004 -- In Virginia, Sunday used to be a day of rest. "It is the end of an era," said I. Michael Greenberger, the merchants' attorney. For the purpose of providing revenue for the construction, maintenance and operation of a four-year school of medicine, dentistry and nursing of West Virginia University, an excise tax is hereby levied and imposed on and after midnight of the last day of […] Title 4.1 is the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act. Yet other blue laws have contin… Liquor cannot be sold on Sunday; on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas; and between 9pm and 10am. Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, are laws designed to restrict or ban some or all Sunday activities for religious or secular reasons, particularly to promote the observance of a day of worship or rest. Flashing or steady-burning blue or red, flashing red and blue or blue and white, or red, white, and blue warning lights. In Blue Laws and Black Codes, Peter Wallenstein shows that laws were often changed not through legislative action or constitutional amendment but by citizens taking cases to state and federal courtrooms. Even during hunting season, deer could not be taken on Sunday. Horse racing is prohibited on Sundays unless authorized by the local municipality. No alcohol sales on or off premise on Sundays or Christmas Day. However, they don’t protect from competition those (such as Jews and Muslims) whose sabbath is Saturday. Until 1974, when the General Assembly began exempting a variety of retail stores and the operations of the agriculture, mining and manufacturing industries, most stores were closed throughout the state. Some blue laws still remain on the books in North Carolina. The Virginia decision now means that there will be almost no area of the Old Dominion, Maryland or the District where a shopper can't buy everything from a pair of shoes to a pair of pliers any day of the week. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbidding the establishment of religion may have called into question the legality of Sunday-closing laws, but it did not stop nearly all states from adopting them. On-premise alcohol sale is allowed from 7am to 2am and off-premise until midnight. 11-19-2. Except in Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George's counties, a new or used car dealer may not sell, barter, deliver, give away, show, or offer for sale a motor vehicle or certificate of title for a motor vehicle on Sunday. Blue Virginia has published more than 2,000 articles covering Virginia politics in the last year, reaching 2.2 million visitors and generating 7.1 million pageviews. Chapter 8. John Hechinger Jr., president of the Hechinger Co., said the decision will affect eight stores in Virginia. Some counties in Florida prohibit alcohol and sex toy sales on Sundays and during certain hours of the day. Virginia's Sunday closing laws were originally intended to preserve the first day of the week for church-going and family outings. The first known blue law was passed in 1665 in New Haven, Connecticut, and supposedly took its name from having been printed on blue paper. Georgia lost its blue law in court action years ago. Blue laws are laws designed to restrict certain activities on Sundays (or other specific days) for religious reasons in order to observe a day of worship or rest. There are forms of hunting on Sunday that were illegal, such as deer, turkey, dove and duck, and other forms that were legal. Regulation of Traffic Read Chapter . §32-1-101. . Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Due largely to court rulings, for example, stores in Virginia are no longer required by "blue laws" to close on Sundays. Additionally, alcohol sales have to remain under 30% of the restaurant’s total sales. Blue Laws In Virginia: Virginia has been the hub of blue laws for quite some time and has had some of the most interesting blue laws. There are currently 28 states with blue laws, and the laws vary by each state, and different counties occasionally have their own blue laws. Sex Toys. Yesterday's decision erases a law that survived from 1610 to 1960 with few changes. A person may be placed in jail for up to six months for making fun of someone who does not accept a challenge. That’s because they violated religious freedom. Key Takeaways. Thus blue laws have established a double standard in favor of Christians. The cumulative affect of the amendments, Russell wrote, "reduced the ambit of the law to a very few businesses" and is thus, unconstitutional under the state's prohibition against unfair "special laws.". "I'm relieved that there is finally a decision," said Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney Paul A. Sciortino, the defendant in the suit brought in his jurisdiction. Governor Northam established the Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in Virginia Law in June 2019 and appointed its members in September 2019. Shopping for clothing, electronics and furniture is not allowed on Sundays in Bergen County, which has four major malls. Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico dissented but did not write an opinion in the decision, which reverses a 1985 ruling by a Virginia Beach Circuit Court. (Repealed 2010) It is illegal to snooze on a train. Article 1. In most counties, alcohol and liquor sales are not allowed on Sundays and statewide Christmas Day. Hundreds of stores in Norfolk, Roanoke, Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads will be affected by the ruling, prosecutors said. I, page 57. Nusbaum & Co. Inc. was party to the original suit but recently withdrew. Bergen County practices one of the only remaining Sunday closing laws. Excise tax on bottled soft drinks, syrups and dry mixtures; disposition thereof. In America, the earliest Sunday-closing laws date back to 1610 in the colony of Virginia. She spent 14 years as a Washington Post foreign correspondent based in Tokyo, Mexico City and London. Certain businesses have controlled hours of operation and the blue laws require that some businesses (retail establishments) pay their employees extra compensation on Sundays and on some holidays. Restaurants that serve alcohol are allowed between 11:30am to 1am, and the alcohol must be ordered with food. If the local government had decided against extended hours for alcohol sales, the prohibited hours are 3am to noon. We have worked with the US Government, foreign governments, and local and international organizations since 2004. About Blue Law International We are a small, women-owned international development firm dedicated to the promotion of good governance, the rule of law, human security, and human rights around the world. Richmond Times-Dispatch Richmond Times-Dispatch. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. FRAUDULENT AND OTHER PROHIBITED PRACTICES. General and Miscellaneous Read all § 46.2-800 Riding bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric power-assisted bicycles, mopeds, or motorized skateboards or scooters; riding or driving animals "I think with all the changes over the years, the law had become discriminatory. There's some irony here: Multiple Virginia legislators thought it would be a grand idea to … So-called blue laws, which last year were repealed in Maryland and have not been in effect in the District for almost 20 years, were ruled unfair because they had been amended so frequently that they favored some businesses and discriminated against others, the court said. We like to think of ourselves as law-abiding citizens here in Virginia. Alcohol can start being served on Sundays at 10am, thanks to introduction of the “Brunch Bill” in 2016. at 64, §XV.. 3 Id. Although Northern Virginia jurisdictions have not been bound by the laws since they exempted themselves through a series of referendums in the mid-1970s, about 50 percent of all employed people in Virginia live in areas with Sunday closing laws. Code of Virginia. Blue laws have been part of American history since people began emigrating from Europe, where the laws were common. The forms of Sunday hunting that were legal were hunting on licensed hunting preserves, bear hunting, raccoon hunting and fox hunting. Out of Arkansas’s 75 counties, 39 are “dry” counties where the sale of alcohol is prohibited. Read About Our Approach & Impact Hunting is prohibited on Sundays, except for foxes, crows, or coyotes. New Virginia laws go into effect July 1 New laws are going into effect on July 1, like the legal age to purchase tobacco products is going from 18 to 21. Blue laws may also restrict shopping or ban sale of certain items on specific days, most often on Sundays in the western world. While blue laws may seem unconstitutional because they are based on religion, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled them constitutional by citing that blue laws secure a day of rest for certain workers, and guarantee the free exercise of religion. Advisory activities. The sale of alcohol on Sundays is prohibited statewide. Blue laws have operated to protect Christian business owners from competition on their sabbath. Please consider donating to support our coverage of Virginia politics. Due largely to court rulings, for example, stores in Virginia are no longer required by "blue laws" to close on Sundays. West Virginia Code: Search Chapter 32 Entire Code ARTICLE 1. Today there are 61 licensed distilleries in Virginia — approaching a dozen in this region — and 11 more in the process of opening. ", "You could have a clothing and shoe store that couldn't open," Sciortino said, "but you could have a drugstore like Peoples that sold all the same things that could open.". The Code of Virginia (COV) contains the laws (statutes) of the Commonwealth. Alcohol Blue Laws (Laws Prohibiting Sunday Sales of Alcoholic Beverages) A blue law is one restricting activities or sales of goods on Sunday, to accommodate the Christian sabbath. Bars, clubs, and taverns are allowed to sell alcohol from 10am to 1am. 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