Supreme Court blocks Indianapolis law

The US Supreme Court upheld a decision by a lower appeals court to block the enforcement of an Indianapolis law that required children to have parental consent and/or supervision when playing arcade games that are deemed too violent. The law, which was adopted on July 10, was aimed at shielding minors from arcade games that depict violence and strong sexual content. It required arcade operators to separate violent games from other arcade units and display signs that explicitly state the requirement of parental consent to play.

As reported, following the initial enforcement of the law in Indianapolis, several game publishers and trade organizations challenged the law by arguing that it violated the First Amendment. The law was at first ruled constitutional by a federal court, but that decision was overturned by the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, which ruled that the law did indeed infringe on the rights of free speech and expression. The US Supreme Court upheld that ruling without further comment.