Nick Shirley, a conservative YouTuber and investigative journalist, filed a federal lawsuit on September 4, 2026, challenging California Assembly Bill 2624, commonly known as the “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” arguing the privacy law violates the First Amendment and discriminates against journalists investigating immigration-related organizations.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California by America First Legal, in partnership with attorney John W. Howard, against California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber. The complaint alleges that AB 2624 unconstitutionally targets journalists and citizens who investigate immigration-related organizations, violating the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution.
AB 2624, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on August 22, 2026, expands California’s existing Safe at Home address confidentiality program to protect immigration support services providers, employees, and volunteers. The law, which becomes operative on October 1, 2027, allows covered individuals to keep their home addresses confidential through an alternative mailing address administered by the California Secretary of State. It also prohibits posting personal information—including home addresses, photographs, employment history, and financial information—of covered providers with the intent to incite imminent great bodily harm, with civil penalties of up to $4,000 per violation.
According to the America First Legal complaint, the law already harms Shirley despite not becoming operative until October 2027. Shirley is an independent investigative journalist whose reporting on government spending, fraud, waste, and abuse reaches millions of viewers. He has uncovered more than $100 million in fraud at Somali-run daycare centers in Minnesota and examined alleged fraud at Armenian hospices and Somali daycares in California. His reporting has contributed to the closure or termination of certain taxpayer-funded businesses and programs allegedly involved in fraudulent activities.
The lawsuit alleges that AB 2624 is a content-based restriction on speech that discriminates based on viewpoint. The complaint argues that the statute especially protects information concerning “immigration support services,” while imposing no comparable restriction on speech concerning organizations or individuals whose advocacy favors stronger immigration enforcement. America First Legal’s complaint also contends that the statute is unconstitutionally overbroad and vague, covering a substantial amount of protected journalism, political commentary, watchdog reporting, and whistleblowing without giving speakers fair notice of what is prohibited.
The legislative timeline cited in the complaint suggests a targeted response to Shirley’s work. In January 2026, Shirley arrived in California to investigate fraud allegations. On January 31, Governor Newsom said San Diego’s Somali community felt “under siege” after “right-wing provocateurs” showed up at Somali-run daycares. On February 5, Attorney General Bonta called the fraud allegations “reckless,” “false,” “outrageous,” and “ridiculous.” On February 16, Shirley released a 23-minute video; hours later, Governor Newsom’s press office criticized it. Three days after that, on February 20, Assemblywoman Mia Bonta—Attorney General Bonta’s wife—introduced AB 2624.
Supporters of AB 2624 argue the law is necessary to prevent harassment and threats against immigration service workers. Assemblywoman Mia Bonta stated during the measure’s final floor vote in the Legislature that organizations whose staff and volunteers have been “doxxed, harassed, followed and filmed at their workplaces and threatened” need protection. “These are not hypothetical concerns. No one should have to fear that doing their job will put their family at risk,” she said.
Republicans and conservative critics, including GOP Assemblymember Carl DeMaio of San Diego, have dubbed the measure the “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” alleging its true purpose is to intimidate journalists and limit their ability to investigate organizations for fraud, waste, and abuse. At an August 26, 2026, rally outside the California State Capitol, Shirley argued that the law creates a “protected class” by shielding immigration support service providers from scrutiny. “They’ve essentially created a protected class by calling this group—the immigration support service providers—saying that I and you cannot expose them,” he said. Republican candidate Jenny Rae Le Roux pledged to investigate government spending despite the law, saying, “If Gavin Newsom doesn’t like it, he can come arrest me himself.”
The America First Legal complaint seeks a declaratory judgment that AB 2624 is unconstitutional on its face and as applied to Shirley, as well as injunctive relief. Gene Hamilton, President of America First Legal, said in a statement, “Nick Shirley is an American patriot. He has been exposing fraud that too many people have tolerated or facilitated for decades. California was so threatened by that work that the Attorney General’s own wife introduced a bill to silence Mr. Shirley, in violation of the First Amendment.”
The lawsuit comes amid broader debates over balancing free speech protections with laws designed to prevent harassment and doxxing. California has previously expanded the Safe at Home program to include victims of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, human trafficking, elder abuse, and people who work in reproductive healthcare. Last year, California passed a law extending the program to people who work in gender-affirming healthcare, which also includes provisions prohibiting the posting of personal information of program participants.
Sources
- America First Legal — lawsuit filing details, Shirley’s background, complaint allegations, and timeline of events leading to AB 2624’s introduction
- CalMatters — AB 2624 details, law’s provisions, Safe at Home program background, legislative debate, and quotes from supporters and opponents
- Bloomberg Law — confirmation of lawsuit filing and First Amendment claims
- Daily Journal — lawsuit filing confirmation and First Amendment violation allegations
- NPR — Nick Shirley background as 23-year-old independent YouTube journalist
- Los Angeles Times — AB 2624 signing date and law’s provisions
