Virginia Law

This is why legislatures should hire skilled legislative drafters:

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- A legislative mistake that would require Virginia businesses to give employees Saturdays or Sundays off as a "day of rest" if they request it was blocked from taking effect this weekend by a judge Friday.

Judge T.J. Markow granted an emergency 90-day injunction at the urging of several Virginia corporations.

The delay will give legislators time to correct the oversight, which alarmed a wide range of businesses with weekend or round-the-clock shifts to cover, such as factories, stores, utilities and restaurants.

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The "day of rest" law was mistakenly enacted earlier this year when Virginia's General Assembly repealed the antiquated "blue laws" that once required businesses to close on Sundays.

Lawmakers unwittingly struck from the books a decades-old exemption for private businesses from Virginia's 17th-century day-of-rest law. The error went unnoticed and was signed into law by Gov. Mark R. Warner.