Thompson denied in Louisiana

Florida lawyer Jack Thompson may have helped author Louisiana's currently contested legislation barring the sale of some violent games to minors, but he won't be able to defend it in court.

Game Politics is reporting that the judge presiding over the case has denied Thompson's attempt to file an amicus curiae brief. Also known as a "friend of the court," an amicus curiae is someone who isn't a party to a lawsuit, but wants to bring up information and arguments that might not otherwise be heard. The game industry had opposed Thompson's motion to file as a friend of the court, while Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti, a defendant in the case, had approved of it.

The Louisiana law was signed by the governor and went into immediate effect last month, but the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) quickly filed suit to have it overturned. The day after the law was signed, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing the law from being enforced.

Currently the case is awaiting the judge's ruling on whether or not to turn the temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction against the law.