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Won U.S. District Courts

The Babylon Bee v. Lopez

Summary

The Babylon Bee, a satire website, and a Hawaii resident are suing the state of Hawaii after it passed a law that censors online content, including political satire and parody.

Case Timeline

  • July 2024: Hawaii Governor Josh Green signed S2687 into law.
  • June 2025: ADF attorneys representing The Babylon Bee and a Hawaii resident filed a lawsuit challenging the law in court.
  • January 2026: A federal district court ruled that a Hawaii law that censors online political speech is unconstitutional.
  • May 2026: Hawaii officials agreed to settle the case, paying more than $118,000 in attorneys’ fees.

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Articles

The Babylon Bee Victorious in Challenging Anti-Free Speech Law in Hawaii
May 26, 2026
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Censorship Is Incompatible with a Free Society
April 2, 2026
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Press Releases

Shawn Luiz (local counsel), Mathew Hoffmann (ADF Counsel), Dawn O'Brien (client), and Jon Scruggs (ADF Counsel)
May 21, 2026
Case closed: Hawaii officials pay up for unconstitutional censorship of political memes
Shawn Luiz (local counsel), Mathew Hoffmann (ADF Counsel), Dawn O'Brien (client), and Jon Scruggs (ADF Counsel)
January 30, 2026
Hawaii court blocks state’s satire censorship law
December 2, 2025
Babylon Bee, Hawaii resident challenge state law criminalizing political speech
June 4, 2025
The Babylon Bee challenges Hawaii law criminalizing political memes, satire

Documents

Court

Title

Date

U.S. District Court

Joint fourth stipulation to extend time to file bill of costs and motion for attorney's fees pending legislative appropriation and payment and order

05/19/2026

Trial Court

Order (1) granting plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment; and (2) denying defendants' motion for summary judgment

01/30/2026

Trial Court

Plaintiffs' combined memorandum in opposition to defendants' motion for summary judgment and reply in support of plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment

10/15/2025

Trial Court

Memorandum in support of plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment

08/08/2025

Trial Court

Complaint

06/04/2025

Additional Resources

Case Profile