Overview
- A federal judge refused on Sept. 4, 2026 to block the law, leaving Minnesota able to impose civil penalties of up to $500,000 per violation while the constitutional case continues.
- xAI filed suit days before the law took effect and says the measure is an overbroad, content-based restriction that violates the First Amendment.
- Judge Donovan W. Frank denied emergency relief after finding xAI waited too long to sue, failed to show irreparable harm, and that the balance of harms favors the state’s public safety rationale.
- Reporting says the Justice Department filed a statement siding with xAI’s free-speech arguments and xAI has indicated it will seek appellate review as separate victim lawsuits against the company proceed.
- The outcome of the ongoing case could determine whether states may directly regulate AI tools to prevent nonconsensual sexualized images and could force platforms to change moderation, liability exposure, and product access.