by WorldTribune Staff, August 31, 2025 Real World News

A federal district court on Friday ruled that two California laws which censor online political speech are unconstitutional.

The Babylon Bee, Rumble, and California attorney and blogger Kelly Chang Rickert prevailed in lawsuits which challenged California law AB 2839, which critics argue prohibits certain forms of online political commentary, including memes and parodies.

Law AB 2655 was also challenged on the grounds that it requires large tech companies to act as the government’s enforcers of censorship rules.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California found both laws to be unconstitutional.

“When it comes to political expression, the antidote is not prematurely stifling content creation and singling out specific speakers but encouraging counter speech, rigorous fact-checking, and the uninhibited flow of democratic discourse,” the court wrote in its opinion.

“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.”

The Babylon Bee, Rumble, and Rickert were assisted by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).

“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.”

“My personal blog and social media accounts don’t need Governor Newsom’s stamp of approval,” added Rickert. “This attempt to silence humor and other content that appeals to me and my audience was a blatant misuse of power to silence dissent.”

“It is alarming to think that government officials could decide which political speech is permitted, silenced, or erased altogether,” said Rumble CEO and Founder Chris Pavlovski. “At Rumble, we are unwavering in our commitment to free expression and creative freedom, which is why we’re proud to join with ADF in defending the fundamental right to speak openly online.”

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  Court: California’s political censorship laws are unconstitutional