PHOENIX — Editor's Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast.
A federal judge has granted an injunction to halt the enforcement of a new state law that restricts how citizens can record interactions with police officers.
A controversial bill signed by Gov. Doug Ducey in July makes it illegal to knowingly film police officers from 8 feet away or closer without the officer's permission. Violators of the new law could be charged with a Class 3 misdemeanor.
House Bill 2319 still allows citizens subjected to a traffic stop to record their interactions with police as long as they're not interfering with lawful "police actions."
The American Civil Liberties Union sued state officials to stop them from enforcing the law, arguing it infringes upon the First Amendment rights of citizens and journalists.
12News and several other news outlets were listed as plaintiffs in the case.
On Friday, a judge granted the plaintiff's preliminary injunction to stop the law from taking effect on Sept. 24, so that it's merits could be further debated in court.
"We're glad to see the court take action to stop it from going into effect," the ACLU wrote in a statement.
The judge has additionally set a deadline of Sept. 16 for anyone who wants to defend the law to intervene in the case.
The Arizona Attorney General's Office and Maricopa County officials have already notified the court they're not interested in defending HB 2319, according to Arizona Mirror.
Plaintiffs in the case argued HB 2319 was an unnecessary law and introduced problems for journalists trying to cover important events.
"If a reporter is in a crowd taking video of a protest, and a police officer walks towards the reporter and breaches the eight-foot distance while the reporter is unable to move further away in the crowd, that reporter might be arrested," the ACLU wrote in court filings.
Republican lawmakers who supported the legislation have said HB 2319 was needed to protect officers from people who have sinister motives.
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