State v. Atlas
State v. Atlas
Opinion of the Court
The facts are not in dispute: On Sunday, 5 March 1972, defendants sold various items of clothing and wearing apparel while employed at Treasure City, a place of business owned by Whitney Stores, Inc. and located in Cumberland County outside the corporate limits and jurisdiction of any municipality. Section IA of the ordinance in question provides that it shall be unlawful for any person to sell, or offer or expose for sale on a Sunday, any clothing and wearing apparel, clothing accessories, and other enumerated items.
The principal question presented on this appeal is whether the court erred in overruling defendants’ motions to quash the warrants, made on the ground that the ordinance under which defendants were charged is unconstitutional. The constitutionality of this ordinance was considered by the Supreme Court in an action brought in 1970 by defendants’ employer and other parties. Whitney Stores v. Clark, 277 N.C. 322, 177 S.E. 2d 418. In that case, the Supreme Court affirmed a judgment of the Superior Court which had “ ‘adjudged and declared’ the ordinance ‘to be constitutional and in all respects valid,’ ” and noted that the ordinance was essentially the same as ordinances upheld in Kresge v. Tomlinson, and Arlan’s Dept. Store v. Tomlinson, 275 N.C. 1, 165 S.E. 2d 236; Clark’s v. West, 268 N.C. 527, 151 S.E. 2d 5; and Charles Stores v. Tucker, 263 N.C. 710, 140 S.E. 2d 370.
Under the authority of Whitney Stores v. Clark, supra, we overrule defendants’ contention that they were charged under an unconstitutional ordinance.
Affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.