Judge Hands Elon Musk’s X a Win in Lawsuit Against California’s Content-Moderation Law

An appellate court has blocked a California law challenged by X Corp., which accused the state of free speech violations.

Businessman Elon Musk arrives at the Tenth Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles on April 13, 2024. Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images

A federal appeals court has granted X Corp.’s request to block part of a California state law that requires social media platforms to disclose their content moderation and anti-hate speech policies.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued an order on Sept. 4 that grants X Corp.’s request for a preliminary injunction and reverses a district court’s ruling against the Elon Musk-owned social media company in a legal challenge to California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 587.