The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday overturned a California law that would have fined retailers for selling violent video games to minors, and in the process said video games have the same protections under the First Amendment as books, movies and other forms of entertainment.

[ad#Google Adsense 300×250 in story]In a 7-2 ruling, the court said that California’s law was “overly inclusive” because it would have restricted the ability of children whose parents don’t object to violent video games right along with those children whose parents do.

The court also waved off controversial claims that violent video games cause children to act aggressively, a central argument of the California state senator who sponsored the legislation, himself a child psychologist.

It’s the latest defeat for politicians seeking to restrict minors’ access to video games, but it’s the first to go all the way to the Supreme Court. Similar laws in other states have been overturned in lower federal circuit courts.