Why is a U.S. mall being sued for selling clothes on Sunday?

One New Jersey mall is being taken to court — not for fraud, unsafe conditions, or tax evasion — but for selling clothes on a Sunday.

The lawsuit filed against the American Dream Mall claims that the mall’s 120 retail stores, with the knowledge of its management, have repeatedly broken an archaic law since January. “These businesses, with the encouragement and support of the mall’s ownership … have violated the law hundreds if not thousands of times,” the complaint said.

What?

The mall, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is in hot water over alleged violations of the area’s centuries-old “blue laws,” according to NJ.com. These laws, dating back to the 1600s, restrict the sale of certain goods on Sundays, including clothing, to preserve a traditional “day of rest.”

The suit was filed in the Bergen County Superior Court against Ameream, the Delaware-based company that owns the massive retail and entertainment complex.

While most of the United States has long abandoned blue laws, Bergen County remains one of the few places where they are still enforced. Voters there have twice rejected proposals to lift the Sunday ban, first in 1980 and again in 1993.

The US Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of such laws, which were originally modeled after English Sabbath restrictions. Still, the idea that a multimillion-dollar shopping complex could be sued in 2025 for selling clothes on a Sunday may seem baffling to those outside New Jersey.

Let's see if judges agree.