Supreme Court to decide if law that could force a U.S. ban on TikTok violates First Amendment
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will review whether a law requiring TikTok be sold or face a ban in the U.S. violates the First Amendment.
The court said it will hear arguments in the case on January 10, deferring for now TikTok's request that the justices also pause the law's Jan. 19 deadline for divestment from its China-based parent company, ByteDance.
TikTok wants the high court to overturn an appeals court’s ruling that the law’s infringement of the free speech rights of the millions of Americans who use TikTok are justified because of national security concerns.
Unless ByteDance sells the hugely popular platform by the deadline, it will be banned from app stores and web hosting companies in the U.S. TikTok had asked the court to decide by Jan. 6 whether it would pause the Jan. 19 deadline because of the time the app stores and web hosting companies need to prepare.
Although the Supreme Court won't make a decision by Jan. 6, a TikTok spokesperson said the company is pleased the justices agreed to hear its appeals.
"We believe the Court will find the TikTok ban unconstitutional so the over 170 million Americans on our platform can continue to exercise their free speech rights," spokesperson Michael Hughes said in a statement.
Congress passed the law requiring the sale in April with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Proponents of the bill said that TikTok posed a national security risk and raised concern about the possibility of the Chinese government spying on Americans through the app and spreading propaganda.
The Jan. 19 deadline falls one day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Trump promised during the campaign to “save TikTok” despite having tried to ban it during his first administration.
On Monday, Trump told reporters he has a "warm spot" for TikTok.
“We'll take a look at TikTok,” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question about how he planned to save the platform.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court will review potential U.S. ban of TikTok