NEW YORK — When hundreds of thousands of soccer fans crowd into northern New Jersey for World Cup matches this summer, they won’t be able to buy their team’s jerseys, hats or other gear on Sundays in neighborhoods surrounding MetLife Stadium.
The stadium sits on state land inside a county that enforces 1700s-era blue laws, which limit what people can buy on the Christian Sabbath. Sales of clothing, furniture, home decor, appliances and building supplies are off-limits on county land, making the laws some of the strictest in the nation. Grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and other “essential” businesses are allowed to remain open.
But just outside the stadium, past a few parking lots, is the anchor of the resistance to Bergen County’s laws: the American Dream mall. The 3-million-square-foot shopping and entertainment center, located in the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, is locked in a divisive court battle over its decision to sell goods on Sundays.
The outcome of the case, which is scheduled to be argued before a judge Friday, could alter the retail landscape and consumer behavior in one of New York City’s most populated suburbs. Some have defended the owners of the nation’s second-largest mall and argued that any retailer in the county should be able to sell what they want, when they want. Others want to keep the blue laws in place, saying they offer an important respite from consumerism in one of the most consumer-oriented parts of America.
“There are just a lot of wrinkles with this one,” said Sarah Swan, a Rutgers University law professor. “It brings a lot of issues to a head … and it’s not clear to me where public sentiment lies.”
For decades, shopping in Bergen County malls or retail stores on a Sunday resembled museum visits: Certain areas were physically roped off while others remained accessible.
The law is a throwback to a time when many U.S. municipalities restricted commerce on Sunday to respect religious traditions as well as give residents a day of rest. Despite being upheld by the Supreme Court on several occasions, many municipalities have scrapped their ordinances in recent decades — though several states still restrict sales of alcohol, vehicles or other items on Sundays.
Once enforced statewide, a 1959 law gave local governments in New Jersey the option to set their own Sunday policies. Residents in Bergen County overwhelmingly supported keeping the ordinance, voting in favor of the restrictions in 1980 and again in 1993.
“It really comes down to having a day with less congestion, less traffic and less movement of commerce,” said Christopher DiPiazza, the mayor of Paramus, New Jersey, which is bisected by several major highways. “It gives Paramus residents and county residents a day to do other things besides shop.”
The policy in this county of nearly 1 million residents has had far-reaching impacts on how northern New Jersey residents plan their weekends. Some maintenance work halts because people can’t buy building supplies. Some moving companies refuse to schedule pickups or deliveries on Sundays because it’s hard to buy needed products. And traffic builds in other counties where shoppers go instead.
The American Dream mall initially followed Bergen County’s blue laws when it opened in 2019. While the mall’s eateries and other attractions — including an indoor water park and ski slope — were open on Sundays, stores that sold clothing and other goods largely remained closed.
But in January 2025, the mall started allowing clothing and furnishing stores to operate, even hanging a banner outside that read, “ALL STORES OPEN ON SUNDAYS.”
Mall officials argue the facility is on land owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which in effect makes it state — not county — property. The same premise allows MetLife Stadium, where the New York Jets and New York Giants NFL teams play, to sell merchandise during Sunday games.
Bergen County leaders initially condemned American Dream’s decision but did not take legal action. Then last summer, the borough of Paramus, located about eight miles from the Meadowlands, filed a lawsuit seeking to force clothing stores in the mall to close on Sundays. Paramus alleged in the suit that American Dream was “a public nuisance.”
Gregg Schwartz, a spokesman for American Dream, declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation. A spokeswoman for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which is also named in the suit, also declined to comment.
DiPiazza, Paramus’s mayor, said the borough intervened because American Dream was hurting other retailers, including competing malls, that abided by county law. The lawsuit also names Bergen County, alleging it didn’t take proper action to enforce the blue laws.
“It was a fair playing field,” DiPiazza said. “Everybody played by the same rules, because they had respect for the law that the people in Bergen County voted to put in place.”
In December, the mall filed a motion asking that Paramus’s lawsuit be thrown out, arguing — with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority’s backing — that the borough did not have standing to bring the suit since the retail sales weren’t happening there.
“Paramus stands as a textbook example of an interloper in this case, seeking to meddle,” the court filing states.
Bergen County is also asking that the lawsuit be dismissed, questioning Paramus’s standing in the matter. County Executive Jim Tedesco said leaders there still support the law and want the state attorney general to take action against American Dream.
He said before it opened, mall operators had assured county officials they would “honor the Sunday closing law.”
“They broke that promise,” he said. “Their decision to operate retail on Sundays not only violates state statute, it gives them an unfair advantage over every other business in Bergen County that is following the law.”
Swan, the Rutgers law professor, said the dispute raises questions about whom the mall is accountable to. The outcome of the case could help determine whether the blue laws remain enforceable, Swan added.
Kurt Steinbruch, president of the Bergen County Chamber of Commerce, said his members have not taken a position on the lawsuit but he suspects opinions vary. Steinbruch said he personally supports the Sunday shopping prohibitions.
“This is one of the most economically fast-paced areas in the country,” Steinbruch said. “I think it’s good that workers have a day of rest and are able to focus on their family and community.”
Jeffrey Lahullier, the mayor of East Rutherford, also believes most of his residents support the Sunday restrictions. But with two World Cup games scheduled at MetLife Stadium on Sundays this summer, he and other local officials concede Bergen County’s traditions may surprise some fans.
“Maybe visitors can compare this to what seven days of shopping is like in their own hometowns and countries and say, ‘Oh we kind of like this,’” DiPiazza said.
He noted that the Bergen County Zoo is open on Sundays.
“Go to the zoo, restaurants, a movie theater,” DiPiazza said. “There are plenty of things to do [on Sunday], even if you can’t go to Neiman Marcus and buy pants.”
Razzan Nakhlawi contributed to this report.
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