Gallagher v. Crown Kosher Super Market of Massachusetts involved a claim similar to that in Braunfield v. Braun, in which the Supreme Court upheld Sunday closing laws as applied to Orthodox Jewish shopkeepers. In this case, owners of an Orthodox Jewish grocery store challenged laws mandating that their store remain closed on Sunday. In addition to the claims related to lost business considered in Braunfield, several of the store’s customers also brought suit alleging that the law infringed on their free exercise rights because they were not able to purchase kosher food items sanctioned by their faith from sundown on Friday until Monday morning. The Court also considered the claims of several rabbis who alleged that the laws made their job of inspecting kosher meat for difficult by forcing them to wait several days to inspect meat delivered on Friday. The Court rejected all of the claims on the same grounds as in Braunfield: the law regulated purely secular activity, which only incidentally affected the owners’ religious practices, and thus did not violate the Free Exercise Clause.
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