Illinois Will Appeal Video Game Ruling

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich publicly expressed his frustration with a U.S. District Court ruling that struck down a new state law banning the sale of graphic video games to minors, and has vowed to appeal the decision.

Supporters of the ban argue that children are harmed by the exposure to such games and say something should be done so parents do not have to be concerned about their children purchasing video games with questionable material without permission.

However, such laws have been repeatedly struck down by the courts, with judgments saying the legislation infringes on the first amendment rights of video game manufacturers.

But that has not stopped legislators from attempting to enact such provisions -- including a federal bill backed by Hillary Clinton making its way through Congress right now.

According to Matthew Kennelly, the judge presiding over the Illinois case, the state came "nowhere near" to demonstrating that the law would not infringe on the constitutional rights of the video game industry. Nonetheless, Governor Blagojevich is not giving up.

"Parents should be able to expect that their kids will not have access to excessively violent and sexually explicit video games without their permission," the governor said in prepared remarks.