JURIST - Paper Chase: Illinois lawmakers pass bill banning sale of violent or explicit video games to minors

[JURIST] The Illinois Senate voted Saturday to ban the sale of violent or sexually explicit video games to minors. The Safe Games Act [text], would punish sales clerks who knowingly sell adult video games to minors. A seller could defend itselfs by showing it did not know the buyer was a minor or that it followed the industry ratings on the games. The legislation lets stores determine which games are too violent or sexually explicit for minors. The effort to ban sales of explicit video games to minors has already met opposition in the federal courts, which have ruled that similar laws in other states encroach on the First Amendment. The Illinois bill is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Rod Blagojevich [official website], who has expressed support of the legislation [press release] . AP has more.

For a one-stop snapshot of the latest legal news that matters, with breaking documents, new legal videos, live law-related webcasts, commentary by expert law professors and more - all updated through the day in real time, with no ads and no registration barriers - visit JURIST's homepage and check back often...