Bonta

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

NETCHOICE, LLC, No. 25-2366 D.C. No. Plaintiff - Appellee, 5:22-cv-08861-

BLF

v.

ROB BONTA, IN HIS OFFICIAL

CAPACITY AS ATTORNEY GENERAL OF OPINION

THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA,

Defendant - Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of California Beth Labson Freeman, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted January 14, 2026 Pasadena, California

Filed March 12, 2026

Before: MILAN D. SMITH, JR., MARK J. BENNETT, and ANTHONY D. JOHNSTONE, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge M. Smith, Jr. NETCHOICE, LLC V. BONTA

SUMMARY *

First Amendment

The panel affirmed in part and vacated in part the district court’s preliminary injunction in an action brought by NetChoice, a national trade association of online businesses, challenging the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (CAADCA), which was enacted to protect the privacy, safety, and well-being of children when engaging with online products and services that children are likely to access. In a prior appeal, this panel affirmed the district court’s preliminary…