RedState wrote about HLLI’s free speech lawsuit for YouTube and X creator, “Mr Reagan.”
The Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute sued the state within hours of Governor Hair Gel signing the legislation. They argue:
Yesterday, September 17, Governor Newsom signed two bills, AB 2655 and AB 2839, and within hours, HLLI filed a lawsuit on behalf of ‘Mr. Reagan’ challenging the constitutionality of these newly enacted laws.
AB 2655, the ‘Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024,’ requires social media companies to censor users’ protected political speech created with generative AI tools that spoof the likeness of political candidates. AB 2839, ‘Elections: Deceptive Media in Advertisements,’ applies not only to advertising but to all ‘election communication,’ including user-created parodies like “Mr. Reagan’s.”
AB2839 goes into effect immediately, makes dissemination of Mr. Reagan’s’ July 26 video, and dozens of others he has created, actionable.
AB 2655, slated to go into effect on January 1, 2025, also infringes on the First Amendment by requiring social media companies to censor user-created, AI-driven satire of political candidates. AB 2655 claims to allow parody and satire, but platforms are motivated to err on the side of removing such content because failure to do so subjects them to potential liability.
Read more at RedState.