U.S. DOJ Urges Supreme Court to Reject Trump's Request to Delay TikTok Ban by ByteDance on January 19

Jan 4, 2025, 03:33 PM

The U.S. Department of Justice has urged the Supreme Court to reject President-elect Donald Trump's request to delay the implementation of a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. or force its sale by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, by January 19. The law, passed in April, requires ByteDance to divest TikTok's U.S. assets or face a ban. Trump, who previously attempted to ban TikTok during his first term, now seeks a delay to allow his incoming administration to pursue a 'political resolution' to the issue. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on the case on January 10. TikTok has argued that the law violates the First Amendment, while the U.S. government maintains that the platform poses a national security risk due to its Chinese ownership and its 170 million U.S. users. In a brief written by Trump's pick for solicitor general, Trump called the First Amendment implications of a TikTok ban 'sweeping and troubling.'