« Environment - Northwest ethanol smell still lingers | Main | Ind. Decisions - More on: Bosma to ask judge to reconsider ruling »

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Law - More on: Federal judge strikes down Illinois law on video games; Bayh backs federal legislation; Michigan injunction; earlier Indianapolis effort

Thanks to Howard Bashman's How Appealing, here is a link to an article by Donald Lee titled "Lack of scientific evidence short-circuits video-game bans," via the First Amendment Center. It begins:

Even before a federal trial court judge struck down Illinois’ attempt to ban the sale of violent video games to minors, proponents of such bans knew they had a legal problem. Now, after that ruling, they know their bigger problem is one of science.

In Entertainment Software Association v. Blagojevich, Matthew Kennelly became the latest judge to hold that laws regulating the sale and rental of violent video games to minors violate the First Amendment. Courts considering state laws in Michigan and Washington and local ordinances in Indianapolis and St. Louis County, Mo., have issued similar rulings.

It concludes:
Even supporters of the laws seemed resigned to the bans’ fate. “I supported the legislation knowing full well that it was going to get overturned because it had been overturned in other states,” State Sen. Dave Syverson told the Rockford (Ill.) Register Star. “This legislation was really more symbolic.”

Symbolic, perhaps, but also unconstitutional. And — unless and until their supporters find better science — video-game bans are likely to remain that way.

For background, see this Dec. 3, 2005 ILB entry, which covers Mayor Peterson's failed efforts, and Senator Bayh's proposed effort.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on December 14, 2005 03:45 PM
Posted to General Law Related