NetChoice Consents to Magistrate Judge in AB-2273 Case; Calif. AG Declines

Plaintiff NetChoice consented to magistrate judge jurisdiction in its lawsuit against California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D), but Bonta declined, said their filings Wednesday (NetChoice's and Bonta's) in U.S. District Court for Northern California in San Jose (docket 5:22-cv-08861). California’s age-appropriate social media design law violates the First Amendment by telling sites how to “manage constitutionally protected speech,” NetChoice alleged Dec. 14 in a complaint seeking to invalidate AB-2273 (see 2212140063). An initial case management conference in the dispute is scheduled for March 14, said a Dec. 15 order.