Florida Judge Declines to Ban 'Bully'

By Scott M. Fulton, III, BetaNews

October 13, 2006, 3:21 PM

According to reporters for the blog Destructoid attending a hearing in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, Judge Ronald Freeman sampled for two hours the soon-to-be-released Rockstar game for PlayStation 2, Bully, and has decided against prohibition of its sale in the state of Florida.

The reporter on the scene said Judge Freeman indicated that he saw nothing so particularly violent about this specific game that would merit its shipment being blocked. "There's nothing in the game that you wouldn't see on TV every night," he remarked.

Destructoid also noted that the judge had to admonish prosecutor Jack Thompson, who apparently protested vehemently, including for the fact that he himself didn't get a turn, or at least enough of one.

The judge reportedly told Thompson at length that he did get his turn; and in an e-mail to the Web site GamePolitics.com earlier today, Thompson said he actually did get a chance to play.

Thompson had filed suit against two retailers, GameStop and Wal-Mart, as part of a broader measure to stop the sale of Bully in Florida on the grounds that it violated the state's public nuisance law. It would appear only a few formalities remain before that suit is effectively dismissed.