Sex, Violence, Videogames and the Supreme Court
In February 2009, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down California's Violent Video Games Act banning the sale or rental of "violent video games" to minors. While the holding is squarely in line with substantial U.S. Supreme Court precedent requiring parents — not government censors — to decide what is appropriate content for children, the U.S. Supreme Court just granted review. Mixed in with the legal issues are some of the most troublesome themes for free speech protection — minors, sex and violence. The grant of review is therefore unsettling.
