Deepfakes 1, Gavin Newsom 0: Court blocks California’s anti-satire law as unconstitutional

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)

by Stephen Dinan
October 3, 2024

The war over deepfakes and campaigns is heating up, and the fakers have won an early victory after a federal judge ruled against California’s wide-ranging law banning manipulated materials about politicians in the months ahead of an election.
U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez said the law was poorly drafted and the First Amendment protects a wide range of speech about government officials, even when they are “deliberate lies.”
While acknowledging the potential for abuse in deepfakes, Judge Mendez issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday to put California’s law on ice.