On October 2, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reportedly granted xAI’s request for an injunction, putting Minnesota’s AI-nudification law on hold for now as the company’s constitutional challenge continues.
The injunction puts Minnesota’s law on hold for now
The appellate court’s action is interim relief in the ongoing case. The constitutional challenge continues.
What Minnesota’s law covers
The law took effect on August 1, 2026. It covered owners or controllers of websites, apps, software, programs and other services that allowed users to access, download or use them to “nudify” images or videos—that is, alter them to depict someone nude. It also prohibited advertising or promoting a service that could do so.
xAI’s challenge and the earlier court ruling
xAI alleges that the law restricts free speech protected by the U.S. Constitution. Minnesota opposed xAI’s request to block the law, and the state attorney general’s office said it would defend the measure.
On September 4, U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank denied xAI’s earlier request for a preliminary injunction. The Eighth Circuit granted the separate appellate request on October 2, while xAI’s challenge continued.
