Multistate Bar Examination Practice Question

The court uses strict scrutiny to evaluate laws that impose content-based restrictions on protected speech under the First Amendment. Here, the state law prohibits access to certain video games, potentially restricting their communicative content. The government must demonstrate that the law serves a compelling interest and that the restriction is narrowly tailored to achieve that interest, which aligns most closely with strict scrutiny analysis. Rational basis review, in contrast, is used for laws that do not implicate fundamental rights, and intermediate scrutiny typically applies to content-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions or certain equal protection classifications like gender. In this case, because the restriction targets communicative content, strict scrutiny applies.