Shirley sues California over law shielding providers

Investigative journalist and influencer Nick Shirley filed a lawsuit Friday, September 4, 2026, against California officials, seeking to block a new state law he contends infringes upon his First Amendment rights and hinders his reporting on alleged fraud. The law, Assembly Bill 2624, also known as the "Stop Nick Shirley Act," expands California's Safe at Home program to include immigration support service providers, allowing them to use confidential addresses in public records and restricting the public display or distribution of their personal information. Shirley, who has gained a national following for his investigations into suspected fraud within government-funded programs, argues that the law places a target on his work. He claims the legislation imposes civil liability for publishing or revealing personal information about immigration service providers, even if obtained lawfully. In his lawsuit, filed in federal court, Shirley asserts that the law violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, alleging it imposes content-based and viewpoint-discriminatory restrictions on speech that are unconstitutionally overbroad and vague.