California’s Attempt To Censor Political Parody, Stifle Free Speech Thwarted By Federal Court

[Wingnut]

Bad day for Gov Good Hair and his censorship goons

A federal district court has ruled that two California laws aimed at regulating online political speech are unconstitutional, marking a significant victory for free speech advocates, including the satire website The Babylon Bee and the video platform Rumble.

In two separate but related lawsuits, The Babylon Bee v. Bonta and Rumble v. Bonta, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California found that Assembly Bill 2839 (AB 2839) and Assembly Bill 2655 (AB 2655) violated the First Amendment. The lawsuits, spearheaded by attorneys from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), challenged the state's attempt to censor online political commentary and compel online platforms to act as government censors.



AB 2839 sought to punish individuals for engaging in certain political commentary, including posting satirical memes and parodies of politicians. The law was challenged by The Babylon Bee and California attorney and blogger Kelly Chang Rickert, who argued it was a direct assault on their right to use humor to critique public figures.

"Making fun of politicians and criticizing the government is a core First Amendment right. That includes using new technology to create parody campaign ads or satirical memes," said ADF Senior Counsel Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, who argued the case. "The court was right to rein in California’s blatant censorship. We can’t trust the government to decide what is true in our online political debates."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/california-s-attempt-to-censor-political-parody-stifle-free-speech-thwarted-by-federal-court/ar-AA1LE2RQ?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=40c1ccab490943a09f5a71f9b56f2462&ei=8

[PeteS in CA]

Free to meme: Court finds California’s political censorship laws unconstitutional

https://adflegal.org/press-release/free-to-meme-court-finds-californias-political-censorship-laws-unconstitutional/

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A federal district court ruled Friday that two California laws that censor online political speech are unconstitutional. In two separate lawsuits, The Babylon Bee v. Bonta and Rumble v. Bonta, Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys represent satire website The Babylon Bee, California attorney and blogger Kelly Chang Rickert, and Rumble, operator of a large video-sharing platform that hosts a variety of content, including political commentary.

The two laws challenged in the lawsuits are AB 2839, which targets and punishes speakers for engaging in certain political commentary, including posting satirical memes and parodies of politicians, and AB 2655, which requires large online platforms to act as the government’s censor and remove certain political commentary from their sites. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California found both laws to be unconstitutional.

“Making fun of politicians and criticizing the government is a core First Amendment right. That includes using new technology to create parody campaign ads or satirical memes,” said ADF Senior Counsel Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, who argued before the court. “The court was right to rein in California’s blatant censorship. We can’t trust the government to decide what is true in our online political debates.”

“Our job is hard enough when our jokes keep coming true, as if they were prophecies,” said The Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon. “But it becomes significantly more difficult when self-serving politicians abuse their power to try to control public discourse and clamp down on comedy. We’re pleased the court recognized the First Amendment secures our right to tell jokes, even ones the government doesn’t like.”

I assume that AG Bonta and Goobernor Noisome will waste more taxpayer $$$$ by appealing this ruling.