A law that punished doctors for disseminating misinformation about COVID-19 is likely to be overturned. A state Senate bill is expected to pass this week that includes language that puts an end to Assembly Bill 2098. 

California Medical Association endorsed the measure, but critics raised concerns about its vague wording and the possibility it could have a chilling effect on doctor-patient conversations.

In granting a preliminary injunction in January in two related cases that challenged the law’s constitutionality, Judge William Shubb of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California ruled that the law’s “unclear phrasing and structure” could have a “chilling effect.”