President Donald Trump has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to postpone the enforcement of a law that would ban the popular social media app TikTok or compel its sale. His administration seeks additional time to pursue a “political resolution” to the issue.
“In light of the novelty and difficulty of this case, the court should consider staying the statutory deadline to grant more breathing space to address these issues,” Trump’s legal team stated, emphasizing the need for “the opportunity to pursue a political resolution.”
At a recent press conference, Trump expressed his sentiments toward TikTok, saying he has “a warm spot” for the app and that his administration would reevaluate the potential ban.
Earlier this year, a law was enacted that gave ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, 270 days to sell the app, citing national security concerns. Failure to comply would require app store operators like Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their platforms.
In response, TikTok filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government in May to block the potential ban, which has faced widespread criticism.
In December, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. dismissed TikTok’s claim that the ban is unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment rights of its American users.
TikTok then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that enforcing the ban would “silence the speech of Applicants and the many Americans who use the platform to communicate about politics, commerce, arts, and other matters of public concern.”
The Supreme Court has agreed to review TikTok’s request and is scheduled to hear arguments on January 10 regarding whether the law unlawfully restricts freedom of speech under the First Amendment.
If the court does not rule in TikTok’s favor and no sale occurs, the app could be effectively banned in the United States on January 19.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
