Attorney General Ellison files opposition to latest X.AI attempt to block Minnesota’s anti-nudification law

Court to hold hearing Wednesday on X.AI’s motion for a preliminary injunction against enforcing the law, after previously denying its motion for a temporary restraining order

AG Ellison argues X.AI cannot show ‘irreparable harm’ necessary for preliminary injunction to be granted and is not likely to prevail on the merits, hence is not entitled to a preliminary injunction

August 18, 2026 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed his opposition to X.AI’s latest attempt to block Minnesota’s anti-nudification law, ahead of a hearing in federal court on Wednesday on X.AI’s motion for a preliminary injunction in its ongoing lawsuit against the law. On July 31, the court denied X.AI's motion for a temporary restraining order to block the law from taking effect on August 1.

In his brief, Attorney General Ellison argues X.AI is not entitled to a preliminary injunction, which would block the enforcement of the law for the duration of X.AI’s lawsuit against it, because it has not met the standard of “irreparable harm” that is necessary for a preliminary injunction to be granted, it was not diligent in filing its lawsuit in a timely manner, and it is unlikely to prevail on the merits of its lawsuit, including its claims of First Amendment protection that fall flat.

“X.AI is no more entitled to relief today than it was three weeks ago, and its claims for a preliminary injunction clearly fail,” Attorney General Ellison said. “I am proud to fiercely defend this bipartisan law and its intent to protect all Minnesotans — most especially our children — from the irreparable harms that nudification tools and technology pose.”

In 2026, the Minnesota Legislature overwhelmingly passed a law that bans commercial products — a “website, application, software, program” or other service — from allowing users to take a real person’s likeness and synthetically generate images of their intimate parts which the law defines as “the primary genital area, groin, inner thigh, buttocks, or breast.” The penalty falls on the platform providing the product or tool, not on individual users.

The Minnesota House of Representatives passed the bill with a massive bipartisan majority of 132–1 and the Minnesota Senate passed it unanimously 65–0. In its deliberations, legislators heard compelling testimony from Minnesotans about the harms they suffered when their images were nudified with artificial-intelligence tools and hosted on social-media platforms.

Governor Walz signed the bill into law on May 7, 2026, with an effective date of August 1, 2026. X.AI waited until July 27, 2026 to sue to block the law from taking effect.

After the court denied X.AI’s motion for a temporary restraining order against the anti-nudification law, X.AI filed its current motion for a preliminary injunction, which Attorney General Ellison opposes. The court will hear arguments on the motion for a preliminary injunction on Wednesday morning, August 19.