Washington, D.C. — On October 2, 2024, The Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute (HLLI) secured a major victory—a preliminary injunction—in its lawsuit against newly-passed California laws that threaten to restrict AI-generated political satire. The laws are AB 2655, the ‘Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024’ and AB 2839, ‘Elections: Deceptive Media in Advertisements.’
Representing “Mr Reagan,” a popular YouTuber, HLLI argued that AB 2839 violates First Amendment rights by allowing California’s Secretary of State to sue over any parody featuring politicians that was created in part with AI. The court agreed, granting a preliminary injunction that finds California has no “license to bulldoze over the longstanding tradition of critique, parody, and satire protected by the First Amendment.” HLLI does not know whether California intends to appeal.
HLLI Senior Attorney Adam Schulman called the ruling a “powerful reaffirmation of free speech values in a world of new technology.”
HLLI argues that AB 2655 similarly infringes the rights of “Mr Reagan,” but this law, unlike AB 2839, does not go into effect until January 1, 2025. HLLI intends to file a similar motion concerning AB 2655 in the next few months.
The name of the case is Kohls v. Bonta, 24-cv-2527 (E.D. Cal.).
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The Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute is a public interest law firm dedicated to battling the progressive left’s agenda by defending civil liberties, countering government overreach, and fighting class action abuse.
As a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization as defined by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, HLLI relies on support from individuals and foundations that share a commitment to individual liberty, free enterprise, and limited government. To learn more, visit http://hlli.org.
For more information about this case, please see our complaint, our case webpage, or contact the attorney below:
Adam Schulman, Senior Attorney, (610) 457-0856, adam.schulman@hlli.org.