Permanent injunction entered August 29, 2025
California Election Deepfake Law (AB 2839)
BadblockedCalifornia AB 2839
California, United States
California, United StatesPermanently enjoined by federal courtHigh threat
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- Became Law
California's election-deepfake law compelled labels and restricted materially deceptive political media before a federal court permanently blocked it on First Amendment grounds.
Latest update
Permanently enjoined in Kohls v. Bonta
Current position
Permanently enjoined by federal court
What it does
AB 2839 prohibited distributing materially deceptive audio or visual media about candidates and election officials during defined periods around an election unless it carried a statutory disclosure. It also allowed recipients, candidates, officials, and election authorities to seek injunctions and damages. A federal court first halted the law in October 2024 and permanently enjoined it on August 29, 2025.
Why it matters
The law made the government the arbiter of whether political parody and manipulated media were deceptive enough to suppress or label. The permanent injunction is an important boundary on efforts to regulate election speech through AI-specific rules.
Our take
AB 2839 showed why a parody exception does not rescue a speech-control law. Speakers still had to satisfy government rules before publishing political expression, and a court ultimately found the scheme discriminated by content, viewpoint, and speaker.
Timeline
Permanently enjoined in Kohls v. Bonta
LatestPreliminarily enjoined by federal court
Signed by Governor Newsom
Introduced in the Assembly
Sponsor
Assemblymember Gail Pellerin