Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments over TikTok ban
FILE-A person holds a phone displaying the TikTok logo. (Photo by ANTONIN UTZ/AFP via Getty Images)
The Supreme Court will hear arguments over a federal law that could ban TikTok in the U.S. if ByteDance, its Chinese parent company, does not sell the social media platform, which has over 170 million users in the nation.
On Jan. 10, 2025, justices will hear arguments about whether the law restricts free speech in violation of the First Amendment.
Federal judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the law on Dec. 6, then rejected an emergency plea to delay the legislation going into effect.
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According to the Associated Press, the legislation set a Jan. 19 deadline for TikTok to be sold or face a ban in the U.S. The law passed Congress with bipartisan support and was signed by President Joe Biden in April.
Lawyers for TikTok and ByteDance encouraged the Supreme Court justices to get involved before Jan. 19. Meanwhile, the justices will hear arguments from content creators who rely on the social media platform for income and certain TikTok users.
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President-elect Donald Trump, who once supported a TikTok ban but then promised during his campaign to "save TikTok," has said his incoming administration would monitor the situation.
The AP reported that Trump met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Monday.
Attorneys for TikTok and ByteDance have argued that Trump’s Justice Department might delay enforcement of law or attempt to lessen the legislation's most severe consequences.
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Trump returns to the White House the day after the law is supposed to be enforced.