"The statute infringes on his right to free speech and is unconstitutionally vague. Although the government has a valid interest in protecting election integrity, almost no part of the deepfakes law survives strict constitutional scrutiny," Mendez stated in his ruling.
"Rather than trying to enforce silence, California officials would be better off combating deepfakes with more speech. Especially as to political speech, counter speech is the tried-and-true buffer and elixir, not speech restriction," Mendez emphasized.
"Victory!" Kohls posted on X, expressing his delight at the ruling. Following Mendez’s decision, Kohls highlighted the importance of free speech in his lawsuit against Newsom.
"Congratulations! Score one for the people's right to free speech," Musk tweeted in support of Kohls, reinforcing the significance of the First Amendment in contemporary political discourse.
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