Judge denies request by Elon Musk’s xAI to block MN nudification ban

A judge denied a request from Elon Musk’s AI company xAI to block Minnesota’s law that will be the first in the nation to ban nudification technology.

A federal judge on Friday denied a request from Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI to block a Minnesota law that will be the first in the nation to ban nudification technology.

U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank ruled that there was little risk of immediate harm from the law going into effect as scheduled on Saturday, despite a lawsuit this week from xAI claiming that the law violates the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech.

“xAI filed the motion on July 29, 2026, nearly three months after the law was signed, and only three days before the law is set to take effect. Such a delay in bringing the action and the motion suggests that harm is not immediate,” the judge wrote in a two-page order, denying xAI’s request for a pause to the law.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in Chicago in 2024.Andrew Harnik / Getty Images fileThe court could still pause the law at a later time. The judge wrote that he’ll hold a hearing on Aug. 19 on whether to grant a preliminary injunction.

The law, which was signed by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz in May, prohibits a person who owns or controls a website, application or software to allow their users to “nudify” images of others. It also prohibits anyone from advertising nudification capabilities.