Judge blocks new California law cracking down on election deepfakes
- A federal judge paused a new California law allowing lawsuits over election deepfakes by granting a preliminary injunction on Wednesday.
- U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez ruled that the law likely violates the First Amendment despite recognizing risks of artificial intelligence and deepfakes.
- The law took effect after Governor Gavin Newsom signed it last month, aiming to combat misinformation in political ads.
69 Articles
69 Articles


Judge blocks California law that targeted deepfake campaign ads
AB 2839 aimed to label AI-generated content in political ads as “manipulated.” A federal judge says the law violates the 1st Amendment. Read More The post Judge blocks California law that targeted deepfake campaign ads appeared first on Drudge Report.
Deepfakes 1, Gavin Newsom 0: Court blocks California's anti-satire law as unconstitutional
The war over deepfakes and campaigns is heating up, and the fakers just won an early victory after a federal judge ruled against California's wide-ranging law that tried to ban manipulated materials about politicians in the months ahead of an election.
Judge Deals Gavin Newsom A Devastating Legal Defeat
In a legal setback for California Governor Gavin Newsom, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the state’s controversial law, AB 2839, commonly referred to as the “meme ban,” is unconstitutional. The decision by Judge John A. Mendez of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California struck down the law, citing its broad overreach and unconstitutional restrictions on free speech. The case was brought forward by Christopher Kohls,…
Judge Blocks New California Law Cracking Down on Election Deepfakes, Days After Newsom Signs It
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law allowing anyone to sue for damages over election deepfakes, which a U.S. district judge has now blocked. (Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr./CalMatters) SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A new California law allowing any person to sue for damages over election deepfakes has been put on pause after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday blocking it. U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez said artificial intelligen…
New Deepfake Law in California Gets Blocked by Federal Judge
A federal judge has blocked California’s new law prohibiting deceptive ads and elections-related communications, including deepfakes. Social media user Christopher Kohls sued the state, claiming the law violated free speech rights. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2839 two weeks ago but Judge John Mendez ruled in Kohls’ favor yesterday, declaring the law unconstitutional.
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