As America mourned Charlie Kirk, California rushed SB 771—one of the toughest online speech laws yet—through both chambers. The bill authorizes fines of $500,000 for “hateful” posts and $1 million for willful violations, handing politicians, not courts, power to decide what words are allowed. Now on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, SB 771 echoes censorship trends in Canada and the UK and alarms free-speech advocates who warn it could gut First Amendment protections.
California Hate Speech Bill
