SEATTLE -- U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik shot down a Washington State ban on selling or renting violent video games to minors Friday. The ban was aimed at prohibiting minors from viewing games that depict the killing or harming of police officers.
In his decision, the Federal judge wrote, “There has been no showing that exposure to video games that ‘trivialize violence against law enforcement officers’ is likely to lead to actual violence against such officers.”
Judge Lasnik noted that the ban violated the First Amendment. He added that the U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled in favor of prohibitions of representations of violence under the umbrella of obscenity laws.
The law was sponsored by state Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, a Seattle Democrat.
The game industry rejoiced at the judge’s finding that the ban was unconstitutional.
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Federal Judge Shoots Down Violent Video Game Ban
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