Will CA's Video Game Ban End Up In Supreme Court?
Oct 29, 2008
According to the GamePolitics site, which is run by the Entertainment Consumers Association, the legal dispute over a 2005 California law preventing retailers from renting or selling violent video games to minors may end up being decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The state fought back after the law was struck down by a San Jose federal judge in 2007 on grounds that it violates minors' First Amendment rights, and a panel of judges in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing about the case today.
As the Associated Press reports, industry associations representing game manufacturers have argued that the law "could lead to dangerous territory, in which states could seek to restrict other material under the guise of protecting children," while California's deputy attorney general Zackery Morazzini described violent video games as obscene and defended the law as a way of helping parents keep such content from their children.
At this point, it's not clear how the appeals court will rule, but both sides seem prepared to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court.
Tags:
California, First Amendment, Supreme Court, video games
