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Saturday Night Drinks, Sunday Morning Beer
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 25, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 25, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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In the case of a Brooklyn shopkeeper who was issued a misdemeanor for selling beer between 3AM and noon on a Sunday, a judge found the law unconstitutional. How? The ban is based on religious beliefs, and is therefore a mixture of church and state. The Times reports that Judge Charles A. Posner of Criminal Court wrote, "In the case at hand, there is no secular reason why beer cannot be sold on Sunday morning as opposed to any other morning." The Times notes that the judge's decision will probably be used for other illegal Sunday alcohol sales cases, but that prosecutors might try to appeal it, because the law's the law.
While bars are allowed to serve alcohol until 4AM, stores can only sell until 3AM. Selling beer on Sunday mornings makes so much sense to sell beer between 3AM till noon on Sundays. When you have had a horrible night of drinking and are dying from a hangover, sometimes a beer is all you can stomach.
Try your hand at understanding NY State's laws associated with beer sales. Gothamist dares you. And for all the winos out there, Manhattan User's Guide has the scoop on stores that do sell alcohol on Sundays.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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