State legislative announcements and proposals

Federal Court Grants Alliance Defending Freedom's Request, Blocks California Law on Election Deepfakes

Oct 2, 2024, 09:28 PM

A federal district court has issued a preliminary injunction barring the enforcement of a California law that restricts "materially deceptive" election-related deepfakes. The injunction was granted after the Alliance Defending Freedom requested the court to halt the enforcement of the law, which had threatened online political speech in California during election season by prohibiting the distribution of materially deceptive content, including deepfake ads or other election communications. The injunction allows Californians to once again knowingly distribute election communications containing materially deceptive content, including deepfakes, while the case continues in court.