Utah Lawmaker Drops Efforts To Pass Violent Game Sales Law

Utah state representative Michael Morley has reportedly halted his efforts to pass a bill targeted against the sale of violent video game to minors after a similar California bill was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this week. The Deseret News reports that Morley, a Republican who represents Spanish Fork, said he would no longer pursue efforts to pass the law despite features that he feels would help the law pass constitutional muster. Unlike the struck-down California law, which would have imposed a $1,000 fine on stores that sold violent games to minors, the Utah bill would have allowed parents to sue retailers for false advertising if they sold such games after claiming they would not. That bill was vetoed by former governor Jon Huntsman -- now a Republican candidate for president -- in 2009, after it passed both chambers of the state house with large majorities. Following the Supreme Court decision this week, California state Senator Leland Yee, the sponsor of the affected bill, vowed to continue in his efforts to draft a similar law that would pass the court's First Amendment test. "We're poring through the opinions to see where we can create a pathway for a successful bill that could withstand a challenge," he said. "Even with the existing court, there may be, if we craft the bill differently, there may be a basis for trying to get another hearing within the Supreme Court on this critical matter."