Gavin Newsom’s record running California ranks him at the bottom of all the governors in the United States.
However, that’s not stopping Newsom from eyeing a White House bid in 2028.
But first, Newsom better get ready to rumble after being served with this devastating lawsuit.
Gavin Newsom bans political speech
Back in September, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed a bill into law that outlawed the distribution of so-called “deceptive” election materials in his state.
“You can no longer knowingly distribute an ad or other election communications that contain materially deceptive content,” Newsom tweeted. “Including deepfakes.”
Of course, it would be the Gavin Newsom’s of the world that would determine what was “deceptive” election information.
Would posts about the Russian collusion hoax be banned?
How about tweets regarding the “very fine people” hoax?
Will comments about the “bloodbath” hoax make it past Newsom’s censors?
Can accounts post about the “firing squad” hoax without being suppressed?
It’s likely the California censors would turn a blind eye to any misinformation that goes against conservatives.
Trump breaks internet with viral “They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats” remix trend taking over TikTok 🤣
Unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/buZvDLdssA
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 12, 2024
The bill surged through the Golden State legislature partly in response to a meme that was taking over the internet and making Donald Trump look cool in the process.
The meme stemmed from a line from Trump’s debate against Kamala Harris when he said non-citizens in Springfield, Ohio were eating the dogs and cats.
It’s important to note that parody falls under First Amendment rights.
“A parody, which no reasonable person expected to be true, is protected free speech,” according to Hustler v Falwell (1983).
Rumble vs. Gavin Newsom
At the time Newsom signed the legislation into law, speculation ran rampant that it would be legally challenged as a First Amendment violation – and potentially even as election interference.
Enter Rumble into the fray.
YouTube’s top competitor, Rumble, has filed a lawsuit against the state of California over the new law.
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is representing Rumble in the lawsuit.
“California’s war against political speech is censorship, plain and simple,” ADF Senior Counsel Phil Sechler said. “We can’t trust the government to decide what is true in our online political debates.”
Rumble is particularly concerned with the California law because the video sharing platform promises users a free-speech experience.
“Rumble is one of the few online voices stepping up against this trend of censorship while other platforms and sites cave to totalitarian regimes censoring Americans,” Sechler added. “Rumble is standing for free speech even when it is hard. Other online platforms and media companies must see these laws for what they are—a threat to their existence.”
According to the ADF, the California law would force Rumble to censor its users, or face legal action from the state.
Earlier, the ADF filed a similar lawsuit on behalf of the Babylon Bee – a news parody website.
The suit was successful with California officials agreeing they could not enforce the ban against the comedy site.
Stay tuned to Unmuzzled News for any updates to this ongoing story.
