TikTok filed an emergency request with the Supreme Court on Monday, urging it to block a federal law set to ban the app in the U.S. unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, agrees to sell the platform. The law is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 19.
The company’s lawyers, joined by content creators and TikTok’s 170 million U.S. users, argued that a delay would provide “breathing room” for the court to review the case and for the incoming Trump administration to reassess the matter.
“A modest delay in enforcing the Act will preserve this vital channel for Americans to communicate,” TikTok’s lawyers wrote in their filing.
President-elect Donald Trump, who once supported banning TikTok but later pledged to “save” it during his campaign, addressed the situation at a Mar-a-Lago news conference. “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” he said, emphasizing its role in reaching younger voters. Trump was also reportedly meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to discuss the matter.
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The law, if enacted, could impose fines on app stores and hosting services that continue to support TikTok. TikTok’s lawyers warned that even a temporary shutdown could cause irreparable damage, including a loss of one-third of its U.S. daily users and significant advertising revenue.
On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied TikTok’s emergency plea to block the law but allowed the case to proceed to the Supreme Court, according to AP’s report. The appeals court had previously upheld the law, rejecting arguments that it violated the First Amendment.
Chief Justice John Roberts, who handles emergency appeals from the D.C. Circuit, will first review TikTok’s request and could involve the full court. The justices may issue a temporary stay to halt the law’s implementation, schedule arguments for expedited review, or decline the appeal altogether.
Without intervention, the law will take effect on Jan. 19, just one day before Trump takes office. TikTok has requested a decision by Jan. 6 to prepare for a potential shutdown.
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