There won't be any probability of legal trouble now, for any video game seller/renter or for any minor playing violent video games in California, because a federal appeals court, on Friday, struck down the California law that sought to prohibit the sale or rental of violent video games to anyone under 18. Yes, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco declared the 2005 law null and void.

Had it been passed, the 2005 law would have banned sale of violent video games to minors and imposed a fine of as much as $1,000 on anyone found guilty; anyone caught selling video games in violation of the law. The California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the law in October 2005, but it could not come into effect, as it was right away challenged by the video game industry.

Giving its verdict on the 2005 law, which was fabricated to restrict the use of violent and obscene content, the court asserted that the state has no right control minors' thoughts. The Court ruled that the 2005 law violated minors' rights under the Constitution's First and 14th amendments. 

According to the court, the state was offering "an invitation to reconsider the boundaries of the legal concept of 'obscenity' under the First Amendment." The court has declined to accept that invitation.

In the 3-0 ruling, Judge Consuelo Callahan observed that other courts have established that videos containing violence but not sexual content cannot be obscene under the law.

In a written opinion, Judge Callahan wrote that "there were less restrictive ways to protect children from 'unquestionably violent' video games. For example, the industry has a voluntary rating system and that parents can block certain games on video consoles".

The state argued that the restrictions were necessary to prevent psychological and neurological harm to minors who play violent video games. 

However, the judges maintained that they see no compelling scientific evidence that violent video games are harmful to minors. In her ruling, Callahan said, "None of the research establishes or suggests a causal link between minors playing violent video games and actual psychological or neurological harm, and inferences to that effect would not be reasonable."

State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, the author of the law stated that he wanted Attorney General Jerry Brown to appeal the decision to the U. S. Supreme Court.