The U.S. Supreme Court announced Wednesday it will hear TikTok’s First Amendment challenge to a federal law mandating that the social media giant’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, either sell its American operations or face a nationwide ban. The court has fast-tracked the case, scheduling oral arguments for Jan. 10—just nine days before the law’s compliance deadline.
TikTok Seeks Stay or Full Review
TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency request earlier this week for a stay on a D.C. Circuit ruling that upheld the April law, formally titled the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. Alternatively, they urged the Supreme Court to treat the request as a petition for a full review, which the justices agreed to do.
In its petition, TikTok warned that enforcing the law would shutter one of the country’s most popular social media platforms and violate its free speech rights. The app has over 150 million American users and plays a major role in cultural and political discourse.
