ESA Wins Halt of Louisiana Game Law

By the Betanews Staff | Published August 25, 2006, 2:17 PM

A district judge in Louisiana has issued a preliminary injunction that would prevent the state's violent video game law from taking effect, saying that the video game industry likely would be able to prove their First Amendment rights were being violated. The decision follows a similar pattern to those issued by judges overturning laws in Michigan, Washington, Illinois and California, which all cited free speech concerns in their rulings.

U.S. District Judge James Brady also cited the vagueness of the law as reasons from stopping it from taking effect, siding with the Entertainment Software Association, which filed the initial suit. In a statement, ESA president Douglas Lowenstein chastised the state. "In the post-Katrina era, voters should be outraged that the legislature and governor wasted their tax dollars on this ill-fated attack on video games," he said. Louisiana officials declined to comment.

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"In the post-Katrina era, voters should be outraged that the legislature and governor wasted their tax dollars on this ill-fated attack on video games,"

HAHAHAHA

What about Lousiana wasting money meant for the levies before the storm?

But seriously, this law was extermely vague and even I agree this didn't sound quite right. However, I didn't think minors were protected under the first amendment. If this is true, this could lead to lots of reversals and I think the judge needs to clarify this (i.e. drinking age, smoking age, etc.).

Unless I misunderstood this law, it was only preventing the sale of certain games to minors.

Score: 0

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