The "Ladenschlussgesetz" has been the subject of controversy, as larger stores (and many of their customers) would prefer to have fewer restrictions on shopping hours, while trade unions, small shop owners and the church are opposed to a further loosening of the rules. On June 9, 2004, the German supreme court ("Bundesverfassungsgericht") rejected a claim by the German department store chain "Kaufhof AG" that the shop-closing law was unconstitutional. Among other things, the court cited Article 140 of the German constitution "(Grundgesetz)" (which in turn invokes Article 139 of the 1919 Weimar Constitution) protecting Sundays and public holidays as days of rest and recuperation. Nonetheless, the court in effect invited the federal parliament ("Bundestag") to reconsider whether the states should regulate hours instead of the federal government.