Opinion · Ohlaw Ohio
STATE v. KID, 167 Ohio St. 521 (1958)
150 N.E.2d 413
- Type
- Opinion
- Court
- Ohlaw Ohio
- Jurisdiction
- Ohlaw
- Date
- 1958-04-30
- Topic
- general
STATE v. KID, 167 Ohio St. 521 (1958) 150 N.E.2d 413 THE STATE OF OHIO, APPELLEE v. KIDD, APPELLANT.THE STATE OF OHIO, APPELLEE v. MILLS, APPELLANT.THE STATE OF OHIO, APPELLEE v. LEFF, APPELLANT.THE STATE OF OHIO, APPELLEE v.
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STATE v. KID,167 Ohio St. 521(1958)
150 N.E.2d 413
THE STATE OF OHIO, APPELLEE v. KIDD, APPELLANT.
THE STATE OF OHIO, APPELLEE v. MILLS, APPELLANT.
THE STATE OF OHIO, APPELLEE v. LEFF, APPELLANT.
THE STATE OF OHIO, APPELLEE v. ULLNER, APPELLANT. (Two cases.)
Nos. 35215, 35216, 35233, 35317 and 35318
Supreme Court of Ohio.
Decided April 30, 1958.
1. Section3773.24, Revised Code, commonly called the Sunday closing law, is a valid, constitutional and enforceable enactment and is not vulnerable to the attack that it is a measure for the enforcement or promulgation of religious observances.
2. "Work of necessity or charity" is exempted from the operation of Section3773.24, Revised Code. The word, "necessity," is an elastic one, and what constitutes work of necessity is often a question of fact dependent on the circumstances surrounding the particular case.
3. The lawmaking branch of a state government in the exercise of its police power has the constitutional authority to make classifications and selections of those activities which it deems should or should not be prohibited on Sundays, and, so long as those classifications are not arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable and do not discriminate among the same classes or kinds of pursuits, they are valid.
APPEAL from the Court of Appeals for Cuyahoga County.
APPEALS from the Court of Appeals for Butler County.
In the several causes now here for review the defendants, storekeepers and one clerk, were charged with and convicted in various Municipal Courts of violating Section3773.24, Revised Code, commonly known as the Sunday closing law or blue law, and all the convictions were affirmed on appeal.
Causes Nos. 35215 and 35216 originated in the Cincinnati Municipal Court. Defendant Kidd was a co-owner and operator of a self-serve food market in the city of Cincinnati, and defendant Mills was clerk at the check-out counter in such store. Purchases consisting of groceries, soap, an electric iron and insect spray were made in the store on a Sunday afternoon by police officers, who then advised Kidd and Mills that they werePage 522being cited to court — Kidd for opening and conducting a business on Sunday and Mills for engaging in common labor on that day. Affidavits were subsequently filed against the two. The cases were tried concurrently, and some of the evidence introduced is to the effect that the store was located in a neighborhood inhabited and frequented by those who lacked facilities for storing and preserving food.
Cause No. 35233 originated in the Cleveland Municipal Court. Leff, the defendant, was president of the Three Bears Super Stores, Inc., an Ohio corporation, engaged in a number of stores in selling a variety of products. The store here involved was opened on a Sunday, sales of flashlight bulbs were made and prosecution followed.
Causes Nos. 35317 and 35318 had their inception in the Hamilton Municipal Court. One of the affidavits charges the defendant, Ullner, with opening or causing to be opened a building for the transaction of business on Sunday, and the other charges him with requiring a person (his employee) to engage in common labor on Sunday.
Causes Nos. 35215 and 35216 were appealed on questions of law from the Municipal Court to the Court of Appeals for Hamilton County. Cause No. 35233 went from the Municipal Court to the Court of Appeals for Cuyahoga County. Causes Nos. 35317 and 35318 went from the Municipal Court to the Court of Common Pleas of Butler County and from there to the Court of Appeals for that county.
In all causes, the Courts of Appeals affirmed the judgments of the lower courts.
All the causes are now here for disposition on appeals as of right and on the allowance of motions to require the respective Courts of Appeals to certify the records.
"No person who is over 14 years of age shall engage in common labor or open or cause to be opened, a building or place for transaction of business, or require a person in his employ or under his control to engage in common labor on Sunday. * * *
"This section does not apply to work of necessity or charity, and does not extend to persons who conscientiously observe the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath, and abstain thereon from doing things prohibited on Sunday."
It is axiomatic that courts may not inquire into the policy which motivated the enactment of legislation, and as stated in the first paragraph of the syllabus in the case ofState, ex rel.Dickman, a Taxpayer, v.Defenbacher, Dir.,164 Ohio St. 142,128 N.E.2d 59, "an enactment of the General Assembly is presumed to be constitutional, and before a court may declare it unconstitutional it must appear beyond a reasonable doubt that the legislation and constitutional provisions are clearly incompatible."
Sunday closing laws have generally been upheld as constitutional and valid against a variety of attacks, such as, that they constitute class legislation, that they are too uncertain, that they violate the constitutional rights of citizens as to equal privileges and immunities, that they violate the right of life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness, and that they violate the constitutional right of freedom of religion. 50 American Jurisprudence, 803, Section 5; and 83 Corpus Juris Secundum, 800, Sunday, Section 3.
Many years ago in a case involving a predecessor statute to present Section3773.23, Revised Code, Judge Minshall, writingPage 524the opinion in the case ofStatev.Powell,58 Ohio St. 324,340,50 N.E. 900,901, 41 L.R.A., 854, made the following observations:
"The policy of Sunday laws is based upon the observed fact, derived from long experience and the custom of all nations, that periods of rest from ordinary pursuits are requisite to the well-being, morally and physically, of a people. * * * This is the foundation and policy of all statutes regulating the observance of a day of rest; and whether the day selected is one consonant to the religious views of a portion of the people or not, does not affect the validity of the regulation, where no religious observance is enjoined."
Section3773.24, Revised Code, in no way interferes with the freedom of religious worship or the free exercise of religious beliefs, nor was it designed to. As was said by Judge Thurman in the early case ofBloomv.Richards,2 Ohio St. 387,392:
"Wisdom requires that men should refrain from labor at least one day in seven, and the advantages of having the day of rest fixed, and so fixed as to happen at regularly recurring intervals, are too obvious to be overlooked. It was within the constitutional competency of the General Assembly to require this cessation of labor, and to name the day of rest. It did so by the act referred to, and, in accordance with the feelings of a majority of the people, the Christian Sabbath was very properly selected. But, regarded merely as an exertion of legislative authority, the act would have had neither more nor less validity had any other day been adopted."
CompareStanfealv.State,78 Ohio St. 24,84 N.E. 419, 14 Ann. Cas., 138. And see 38 Ohio Jurisprudence, 349, Section 10.
It is to be noted that excepted from the operation of the statute in issue is "work of necessity or charity." Obviously, no fixed and unvarying definition of "necessity" as used in the statute can be given. That term is an elastic one. Certainly, it does not mean that which is wholly indispensable, but it does mean something more than that which is merely needful, desirable or convenient. For example, it is hardly a necessity to open a place of business on Sunday to make available to a purchaser an article which in the exercise of reasonable foresightPage 525he could have bought on a preceding day. To escape the inhibitions of the statute, labor performed or work done must come within the statutory exceptions, and whether it does is ordinarily a question of fact largely dependent on the circumstances surrounding the particular case. In the cases before us, all the lower courts determined that the element of necessity was lacking and we find no sufficient reason for overturning those determinations.
Another argument made is that Section3773.24, Revised Code, is unconstitutional because it is a law for the promulgation of religious beliefs. True, that section by its terms is not applicable to "persons who conscientiously observe the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath,and abstain thereon from doingthings prohibited on Sunday." However, the evidence in these cases under consideration does not disclose that the business places involved closed onanyday of the week in the observance of a religious belief or for any other reason, and, therefore, the defendants are hardly in a position to attack the statute on the constitutional grounds asserted.Humphrey Chevrolet, Inc., v.City of Evanston,7 Ill.2d 402,131 N.E.2d 70;Statev.Grabinski,33 Wn.2d 603,206 P.2d 1022. But to face the problem squarely, we entertain the view, in line with former decisions of this court already referred to and with those of other courts which have interpreted statutes similar to Section3773.24, Revised Code, that such section does not represent a measure to enforce or promulgate religious observances.
The further argument is made that Section3773.24, Revised Code, has been so undermined by exceptions that it is no longer sustainable. Our attention is directed to the laws which permit the sale of intoxicating liquors until 2:30 a.m. on Sundays and the sale of beer on that day having an alcoholic content of no more than 3.2 per cent, to those which sanction the playing of baseball games and the exhibition of motion pictures after noon on Sundays, to those which sanction trapshooting on Sunday afternoons when conducted under the auspices of a recognized club, and to others which sanction Sunday activities of a secular nature. It is claimed that these exceptions operate in such a discriminatory way as to nullify Section3773.24, RevisedPage 526Code, and that such section constitutes a denial of the equal protection of the laws and represents class legislation.
Contentions of that sort are not new and have frequently been rejected. Sunday observance laws are in force in most of the states, and generally certain activities have been excepted from their coverage. These Sunday laws are sustained quite uniformly upon the theory that the selection of subjects for exemption is peculiarly a matter of legislative discretion. Fundamentally, discrimination is the very essence of classification and is not objectionable unless founded on distinctions which the courts are compelled to pronounce unreasonable or purely fictitious.
The holdings of probably a majority of the courts are that the lawmaking department of a state has the constitutional power to make classifications and selections of what should or should not be prohibited on Sunday, so long as those classifications are not arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable and so long as they do not discriminate among the same classes or kinds of pursuits. See annotations, 46 A.L.R., 290, and 119 A.L.R., 752. For its reasoning, attention is directed to the case ofGundaker CentralMotors, Inc., v.Gassert, Jr., Dir.,23 N.J. 71,127 A.2d 566(appeal dismissed for want of a substantial federal question,354 U.S. 933,1 L. Ed. [2d], 1533,77 S. Ct., 1397). If, for instance, a law enforcement agency should invoke Section3773.23, Revised Code, with respect to a football game played after noon on Sunday, the legality of such action might well be challenged, in face of the statute which permits Sunday baseball. SeeCarrv.State,175 Ind. 241,93 N.E. 1071, 32 L.R.A. (N.S.), 1190, holding the exemption of the game of baseball from the Sunday law a valid enactment, and see annotation, 24 A.L.R. (2d), 813. At least one court has held that engaging in a sport, specifically baseball, does not constitute "labor" within the prohibition of a Sunday law.Territory of New Mexicov.Davenport,17 N.M. 214,124 P. 795, 41 L.R.A. (N.S.), 407.
Some of the defendants place reliance on the cases ofOldsv.Klotz,131 Ohio St. 447,3 N.E.2d 371, andCity ofCincinnativ.Correll,141 Ohio St. 535,543,49 N.E.2d 412, both of which had to do with municipal ordinances as distinguishedPage 527from state laws. The ordinances involved in the cited cases fixed the hours on week days during which lawful business establishments might remain open, and this court held such ordinances to be unreasonable, arbitrary and discriminatory because they were opposed to basic freedoms and rights constitutionally guaranteed and constituted an unauthorized exercise of the police power, since they bore no real and substantial relation to the health, safety, morals or general welfare of the public.
In keeping with the above holdings, it is generally recognized that a municipality in the exercise of its police power may not impose limitations, burdens and restrictions which impair the right to conduct lawful businesses, where the elements of public health, morals or safety are lacking.
In contrast, Section34, ArticleIIof the Constitution of Ohio, reads:
"Laws may be passed fixing and regulating the hours of labor, establishing a minimum wage, and providing for the comfort, health, safety and general welfare of all employees; and no other provision of the Constitution shall impair or limit this power."
Section3773.24, Revised Code, is an enactment adopted by the General Assembly, is operative throughout the entire state and sets aside a specifically designated day of each week for the cessation of secular activities. Independent of the quoted constitutional provision, wisdom and common experience have long demonstrated that one full day of rest in seven is essential to the well being of all individuals, and that its observance does have a vital bearing on the health, safety, morals and general welfare of the citizenry.
We think theKlotzandCorrell casesare clearly distinguishable from the instant ones, and that those cases are in no way decisive here.
As a part of his inaugural address delivered on March 4, 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant said:
"I know no method to secure the repeal of bad or obnoxious laws so effective as their stringent enforcement."
Whether in this fast-moving modern age the Sunday closing law is outmoded, obsolete and unrealistic and should be eradicated is essentially a legislative and not a judicial problem. Of course, the recognition and enforcement of the lawPage 528depend largely upon the sentiment in a locality and the attitude of the law enforcement agencies of that community. But the fact remains that, even though such law may be inappropriate to existing conditions, it is on the statute books as a living piece of legislation, and there are many who would strenuously oppose its repeal. SeeStatev.Cranston,59 Idaho 561,85 P.2d 682.
Various counsel attack the legality of the convictions of the defendants on other grounds, including the claim that the evidence adduced is insufficient to sustain the convictions. We have examined these contentions and find them without substantial merit.
In our opinion, no good or adequate reasons are discernible for reversing the judgments of the Courts of Appeals in the several causes under review, and they are, accordingly, affirmed.Judgments affirmed.
WEYGANDT, C.J., STEWART, TAFT, MATTHIAS, BELL and HERBERT, JJ., concur.
The legislation in theKlotz casemade "it unlawful to maintain and operate a retail food and grocery establishment, open to the public for business except as between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday" but did permit operations from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and any day preceding a holiday (131 Ohio St. 450). The legislation in theCorrell casemade "it unlawful * * * to permit a barber shop to be open for * * * business * * * other than upon the days of the week and the hours of the day set forth" which were quite similar to those specified in the Klotz legislation.Page 529
It may be argued that Section34of ArticleIIof the Ohio Constitution, which states that "laws may be passed fixing and regulating the hours of labor," will support the Sunday closing law although it would not support the ordinances involved in theKlotzandCorrell cases.See dissenting opinion of Jones, J., inWilsonv.City of Zanesville,130 Ohio St. 286,199 N.E. 187. However, paragraph one of the syllabus in theKlotz casespecifically states that the ordinance there involved was "not a valid exercise of the police power" and was "in contravention of the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the federal Constitution." Hence, this distinction of theKlotz casecannot be adopted without overruling in part paragraph one of its syllabus. Also, the decision in theCorrell case, when read in the light of its syllabus, clearly indicates a conclusion by the majority of the court in that case that the legislation there involved was invalid because it bore no "real and substantial relation to the health, safety, morals or general welfare of the public."
Legislation, requiring the closing of a "place for transaction of business" during the daytime, as does the Sunday closing law, would quite clearly appear to have a less "real" or "substantial relation to the health, safety, morals or general welfare of the public" than would legislation requiring such a closing during the nighttime, as did the ordinances in theKlotzandCorrellcases.
However, probably the real distinction between the holdings of this court in theKlotzandCorrell casesand its holdings in the instant cases is the extent of the "closing" required by the ordinances involved in those cases as compared with the extent of the closing required under the Sunday closing law. Under those ordinances, the establishments involved had to be closed not only on Sunday, as under the Sunday closing law, but also during a very substantial number of the hours of each of the other days of the week. In other words, the ordinances went much farther in providing for what is referred to in the quotation in the majority opinion from Minshall, J., as "periods of rest" than did the Sunday closing law. Thus, although a legislative provision for "periods of rest" may have some "real and substantial relation to the health, safety, morals or general welfare of the public" and hence represent a valid exercise ofPage 530the police power, there are limitations beyond which it cannot go in providing for such "periods of rest" without becoming unreasonable and hence an invalid exercise of the police power.