The U.S. Supreme Court handed down a ruling today declaring a California law banning the sale of violent video games unconstitutional. The law was rejected by a solid 7-2 margin.
The court showed a good understanding of the nature of free speech and entertainment during the discussions:
Scalia noted that books often viewed as suitable for high school students are full of violent material. "Certainly the books we give children to read--or read to them when they are younger--contain no shortage of gore: "Grimm's Fairy Tales, for example, are grim indeed. As her just deserts for trying to poison Snow White, the wicked queen is made to dance in red hot slippers 'till she fell dead on the floor, a sad example of envy and jealousy.'"
Hopefully the ruling will help legislators understand that parents bear the ultimate responsibility in raising their children rather than the state.
