Link.

Quote:

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As previously reported, the ESA defeated a California law seeking to have "violent video games" labeled as such and to make the sale of these games to children a felony. The law was quickly thrown out by a federal judge, and now the ESA is filing a motion to have its legal fees from the fight reimbursed to the tune of $324,840. The Governator has vowed to keep fighting for the law on appeal, saying in a statement that he "signed this important measure to ensure that parents are involved in determining which video games are appropriate for their children."

If this seems like a recurring theme, that's because it is: the ESA was awarded attorneys' fees in Louisiana to the tune of $91,000, and again in Michigan, where taxpayers had to cough up $182,349. In Illinois, a similar bill was also found to be unconstitutional, and the tab for the ESA's legal fees there was an incredible $510,000. These laws may gain limited public support, but they never pass the rigors of the legal system and are proving to be incredibly expensive to the states that try to pass them. IF the ESA prevails in California, that will put the bill to taxpayers across the US at $1.1 million.

"From early on, the industry warned Governor Schwarzenegger and Senator Yee that this bill was unconstitutional and would be thrown out by the courts and that California taxpayers would pay the cost," said Michael D. Gallagher, president of the ESA, in a statement. "California citizens should be outraged at their elected leaders. Hard-earned tax dollars were spent on defending this law that California's state leaders knew was unconstitutional."

The law's author, Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo), supports the decision to continue fighting for the law. "I am very pleased to see the Governor's commitment to this issue," he said in a statement. "This is a common-sense law that empowers parents by giving them the ultimate authority over whether or not their children can play in a world of violence and murder."

Yee's statement notes that Judge White said the state must prove that the ESRB ratings already found on all retail games do not "equally address the state's interest in protecting the physical and psychological well-being of children." That could be an uphill battle, and so far, no judge has been sympathetic to such arguments.

With the past rulings all in the video game industry's favor, California is throwing its taxpayers' money away. Gov. Schwarzenegger's decision to appeal the law ensures that the price tag will only climb higher, and we can't see him prevailing where all others have failed repeatedly.

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Idiots continue to waste vast amounts of time and money for everyone =D

"This is a common-sense law that empowers parents by giving them the ultimate authority over whether or not their children can play in a world of violence and murder."

Because parents can't prohibit their kids from playing Manhunt themselves! =D