TikTok Asks Supreme Court to Block January 19 Ban Requiring Sale or Shutdown

Dec 16, 2024, 08:38 PM

On December 16, 2024, TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance filed an emergency appeal to the US Supreme Court to block a federal law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok by January 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban starting on that date. Represented by Noel Francisco at Jones Day, TikTok is requesting a ruling by January 6. The company argues that the ban constitutes a massive and unprecedented speech restriction that violates Americans' First Amendment rights to free speech. TikTok's statement reads, "The Supreme Court has an established record of upholding Americans’ right to free speech. Today, we are asking the Court to do what it has traditionally done in free speech cases." The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit had previously denied TikTok's request, leading the company to seek relief from the Supreme Court.