California AB 2839 — Materially Deceptive Election Content (PRELIMINARILY ENJOINED)
CA · Cal. AB 2839 (2024); Kohls v. Bonta, No. 2:24-cv-02527 (E.D. Cal.)
California AB 2839 banned materially deceptive AI-generated election content within 120 days of an election. A federal court preliminarily enjoined enforcement on October 2, 2024 in Kohls v. Bonta, finding likely First Amendment violations. The case was fully briefed at the Ninth Circuit as of March 11, 2026.
Technical detail
AB 2839 (2024) — criminalized materially deceptive AI-generated audio/visual content depicting candidates, election officials, or election processes within 120 days before or 60 days after an election. Preliminary injunction issued Oct. 2, 2024 (E.D. Cal., Mendez J.) in Kohls v. Bonta; 9th Cir. appeal fully briefed Mar. 11, 2026, no oral argument as of June 16, 2026. The case was consolidated with Babylon Bee LLC v. Feldstein Soto (No. 2:24-cv-02787); the full caption is Kohls v. Bonta, No. 2:24-cv-02527-JAM-CKD (E.D. Cal.).
Who is protected: California voters from election disinformation (would have)
Who must comply: Distributors of AI-generated political content (suspended)
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | CA |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Status | Blocked / in litigation |
| Protection strength | Limited protection |
| Effective date | 2024-09-17 |
| Enacted | 2024-09-17 |
| Citation | Cal. AB 2839 (2024); Kohls v. Bonta, No. 2:24-cv-02527 (E.D. Cal.) |
| Enforced by | California Attorney General / county DAs |
| Private right of action | Yes — individuals can sue |
| Penalties | Civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation (suspended) |
| Topics | deepfakes · election deepfakes |
| Last verified | 2026-06-28 |
| Official source | Preliminary Injunction Order — Kohls v. Bonta (E.D. Cal. Oct. 2, 2024) ↗ |
More AI rules in CA
- CA AB 2148 no-AI school employees (2026) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- CA AG Bonta · In effect
- CA Bar GenAI Guidance · In effect
- CA CPPA ADMT Regs · In effect
- CA SB 1120 (AI prior auth) · In effect
- CA AB 2655 (deepfake takedown) · Blocked / in litigation
Related deepfakes rules elsewhere
- Arkansas Frank Broyles Act AI amendment — voice and likeness protection (2025) · In effect
- Doe v. X.AI (Grok NCII deepfakes class action) · In effect
- xAI v. Harwood (Grok NCII Counter-Suit 2026) · Blocked / in litigation
- Arizona HB 2133 deepfake sexual content — vetoed 2026 · Vetoed
- NY AG · In effect
- MI SOS Deepfake Election Policy · In effect
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