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Circuit Court of Appeals said the ordinance violates the First Amendment S
In April 2002, U "
Lowenstein said the industry group does not want the government regulating the sale of games based on speech, although it does not object to retailers who decide not to sell games rated for mature users to children Louis County modeled its ordinance after one in Indianapolis that was later invalidated by a federal appeals court in Chicago
"Whether we believe the advent of violent video games adds anything to value of society is irrelevant Louis County Counselor Patricia Redington said Guided by the First Amendment, we are obliged to recognize that `they are as much entitled to the protection of free speech as the best of literature,'" Judge Morris S Court Strikes Down Mo Law on Video Games
Jun 3, 5:03 PM EST
A federal appeals court Tuesday struck down as unconstitutional a St
The ordinance, passed by the St Arnold wrote
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"We're disappointed," St
David Overfelt, president of the Missouri Retailers Association, also applauded the decision Louis County law limiting children's access to violent video games
The lead plaintiff, Washington-based Interactive Digital Software Association, praised the ruling District Judge Stephen Limbaugh upheld the ordinance, saying the county had a compelling interest in protecting the physical and emotional health of its children and helping parents look out for their children's well-being S
A three-judge panel of the 8th U
The ordinance was never implemented pending the outcome of a legal challenge brought by a video game industry group against the restrictions on violent games He said the ordinance would have forced store clerks to make judgment calls on selling and renting to children
Douglas Lowenstein, the association's president, called it "a total and unambiguous affirmation of our position that video games have the same constitutional status as a painting, a film, or a book Louis County Council in 2000, requires children under 17 to have parental consent before they can buy violent or sexually explicit video games or play similar arcade games She said she did not know whether the county would appeal |