Sunday Laws

[Corcos, Christine]

These might help, both for history and for contemporary debate.

 

Mike Balestra, Note: Thou Shall Not Hunt: A Historical Introduction to
and Discussion of the Modern Debate Over Sunday Hunting Laws, 96 Ky. L.
J. 447 (2007/2008)

 

Wayne Edison Fuller, Morality and the Mail in Nineteenth-Century America
(University of Illinois Press, 2003).

 

Andrew J. King, Sunday Law in the Nineteenth Century 64 Alb. L. Rev. 675
(2000).

 

David N. Laband and Deborah Heinbuch, Blue Laws: The History, Economics
and Politics of Sunday-Closing Laws (Lexington Books, 1987).

 

Jaynie Randall, Note: Sundays Excepted, 59 Ala. L. Rev. 507 (2008)

 

Marc A. Stadtmauer, Remember the Sabbath? The New York Blue Laws and the
Future of the Establishment Clause, 12 Cardozo Arts & Ent. L.J. 213
(1994)

 

 

 

________________________________

From: religionlaw-bounces at lists.ucla.edu
[mailto:religionlaw-bounces at lists.ucla.edu] On Behalf Of Douglas Laycock
Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 5:42 PM
To: religionlaw at lists.ucla.edu
Subject: Re: Sunday Laws

 

I do not know such a history, and anecdotal impressions are no
substitute for careful study.  But it seems pretty clear to me that the
Sunday closing laws were abandoned for political and economic reasons,
not constitutional reasons.  They lost support as the population became
more secular, and the inconvenience of shutting everything down for a
day became greater as women joined the labor force.  The opposition grew
and the support waned.  

I remember repeal in Texas, in the 1980s; there were conservative
pastors involved in the debate, supported by Mom & Pop stores, big
department stores, and I think the Retail Clerks union (can't swear to
that), and opposed by discount stores and by a large chunk of the
consumer population who were tired of the inconvenience of having so
many stores closed on Sunday.

 

Quoting Mark Graber <mgraber at gvpt.umd.edu>:

> Does anyone know of a good article or book section on the history of 
> Sunday laws, in particular on why they were abandoned after being 
> sustained by the Supreme Court (a great case study, I suspect, for 
> the constitution outside of the courts).
>
> Much thanks.
>
> Mark A. Graber
>
>
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Douglas Laycock
Yale Kamisar Collegiate Professor of Law
University of Michigan Law School
625 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI  48109-1215
  734-647-9713

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