Apparently, Providing Derrida's Works For Free 'Harms The Diffusion Of His Thoughts'

California Appeals Overturned Video-Game Ban To The Supreme Court

from the if-at-first-you-don't-succeed dept

Thu, May 21st 2009 3:26am — Carlo Longino

Politicians in California keep trying to push through a ban on the sale of violent video games to minors -- despite the fact that every state that's passed a ban has seen it get tossed out by the courts. The latest setback for California came in February, when an appeals court upheld a lower court's ruling that the ban was unconstitutional, but the state's not finished. Its attorney general, Jerry Brown, now says he's asked the Supreme Court to hear another appeal of the original ruling. It's fairly annoying that Brown sees fit to waste even more taxpayer money (especially given the state's budget woes), but perhaps the only saving grace is that the Supreme Court might take the case and reaffirm what other courts have said all along, and finally put a stop to some of this political grandstanding.

Filed Under: appeals, california, first amendment, video games

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some old guy, 21 May 2009 @ 3:53am

not likely
There's really no debate here. I don't see any reason why the supreme court will choose to hear the issue at all.
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lulz, 21 May 2009 @ 4:28am

*insert violent video games not harming youth argument here*

What do the politicians think they will accomplish? I got my first M-Rated game when I was 12 years old... there is no point to the law if parents don't care/know and buy the games for their kiddies anyway. A law that accomplishes nothing isn't really a law, just a bad toothache.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 May 2009 @ 5:17am

"put a stop to some of this political grandstanding"

but that is their bread and butter
politicians think they need talking points and pats on the back for new things rather than making the existing things actualy work.
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clos21, 21 May 2009 @ 5:26am

Only in America do we worry about such BS
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Anonymous Coward, 21 May 2009 @ 6:07am

Re:
other countries have their own BS to worry about. I swear every other TechDirt article where they say some country it's always some jerk off like you that says.

Only in does this BS happen.
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Tgeigs, 21 May 2009 @ 6:43am

I kinda can't believe I'm saying this since I usually come down on the other side, but I'm okay w/stores not selling Mature rated titles to kids under a reasonable age, say 17-18. I don't see how it takes any real freedoms away, aside from those of the underage kid, but if his parents think it's okay to play the game, THEY can buy it for him/her.

Unless there is something else that I'm missing?
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Joseph Diaz, 21 May 2009 @ 6:53am

Re:
Its not just SELLING of violent games that the politicians want banned, it is also POSSESSION of violent games.

Your statement is flawed, in that if a parent purchase a game for the kid, and that kid is caught in possession of such game, now the parent also gets a fine or locked away. This is what the politicians want.

Video games are not fire-arms or alcohol but some politicians would like to put them all in the same category.

Game rating of T, M or AO is not a law, it is a rating system created by the non-profit company, ESRB.
http://www.esrb.org/ratings/faq.jsp
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Tgeigs, 21 May 2009 @ 7:02am

Re: Re:
"Its not just SELLING of violent games that the politicians want banned, it is also POSSESSION of violent games"

It is? Is there any citation for this, because that isn't what the article is about. If there's a slippery slope here that you can back up w/some evidence, lord know I'm on board, but based on the article I don't really see the problem.
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ChrisB, 21 May 2009 @ 7:26am

Re:
The question is: is this proposed policy different than Mature rated movies? Because they are the same thing.
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Yakko Warner, 21 May 2009 @ 7:27am

Re:
I think it would make a fine store policy. I think it'd even be great seeing some kind of "ESRB Certification" that stores could earn by implementing this policy and proving they stuck to it. Parents that care about this kind of thing could then choose to support the stores that carried this certification.

It is not, however, appropriate as a law, as has been proven in the courts time and time again. These politicians are overstepping the bounds of the Constitution trying to make a theoretically fine policy into law, and wasting taxpayer money doing so.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 May 2009 @ 7:51am

It's for the children! Just another idiot politician trying to legislate common sense.
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Buster, 21 May 2009 @ 9:13am

! person...
They always taught you in school that it only takes one person to make a difference...
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