Well this is some great, somewhat inevitable news: A federal judge has blocked California's new election "deepfake" law, AB2839.
We told you about this law a few weeks back.
And now AB2839 has been blocked.
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked a California measure restricting the use of digitally altered political 'deepfakes' just two weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law …
Chris Kohls, known as 'Mr Reagan' on X, sued to prevent the state from enforcing the law after posting an AI-generated video of a Harris campaign ad on the social media site. He claimed the video was protected by the First Amendment because it was a parody.
The judge agreed.
Here's what the judge had to say.
‘Most of [the law] acts as a hammer instead of a scalpel,' Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez wrote, calling it ‘a blunt tool hinders humorous expression and unconstitutionally stifles the free and unfettered exchange of ideas.' He carved out an exception for a ‘not unduly burdensome' portion of the law that requires verbal disclosure of digitally altered content in audio-only recordings.
Freedom of speech, ladies and gentlemen!
They can't take it away, and they never will!
If this gets reinstated on appeal, The Bee will be there to continue to harass California:
I'll leave this here for you, since it's no longer illegal in California:
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
