A federal judge has halted California’s new law targeting deepfake satire and parody videos, saying it likely tramples on the First Amendment.

U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez said deepfakes, which manipulate video to create scenes that never happened, can be abused for nefarious purposes.

But he said California’s attempt to shut it down was “a blunt tool that hinders humorous expression and unconstitutionally stifles the free and unfettered exchange of ideas.”

“While California has a valid interest in protecting the integrity and reliability of the electoral process, AB 2839 is unconstitutional because it lacks the narrow tailoring and least restrictive alternative that a content based law requires under strict scrutiny,” Judge Mendez said.

The ruling is a blow to Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who had rushed to demand the law after he was angered by a viral satire video that used altered audio of Vice President Kamala Harris to make it seem like she was saying inane and politically damaging things.

The video has her calling herself the “ultimate diversity hire” and mocking President Biden, interspersed with actual clips of real gaffes by Ms. Harris.

Mr. Newsom declared that sort of parody should be illegal, and the Democratic-controlled Legislature delivered the legislation, which the governor signed last month.

The creator of the video, Christopher Kohls, who goes by MrReaganUSA and Mr. Reagan on social media, sued and won Tuesday’s preliminary injunction.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.