TikTok has requested that a federal court temporarily halt its decision to uphold a law that could lead to the app being banned in the U.S. in the near future. The company is seeking this pause while it petitions the Supreme Court to review the case, and to allow time for President-elect Donald Trump to potentially intervene and block the ban.
On Monday, TikTok filed a motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, asking for an injunction to delay the enforcement of the law. This law mandates that TikTok must be sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face removal from U.S. app stores.
TikTok argues that the Supreme Court should have the chance to consider whether to review this significant case before the law is enforced. Additionally, the company believes that the incoming Trump administration should have the opportunity to address the legal issues at hand. TikTok contends that President-elect Trump’s stance could potentially nullify the imminent harms and the necessity for Supreme Court intervention.
Reports suggest that Trump is inclined to prevent the TikTok ban. TikTok asserts that there is a reasonable chance the new administration might halt the enforcement of the law or mitigate its harshest consequences, despite legal experts indicating that Trump may not have a guaranteed method to block the law.
TikTok warns that banning the app during the appeal process would cause severe and irreversible damage to both the company and its users. The company claims that even a temporary shutdown would deprive its 170 million monthly users and creators of access to a major platform for expression, harm its ability to attract advertisers, and hinder its efforts to recruit and retain talent.
If the appeals court does not grant the pause, TikTok plans to seek an emergency ruling from the Supreme Court to block the law while the appeal is ongoing. However, TikTok prefers that the appeals court pause the law to allow the Supreme Court to handle the matter in a more measured and orderly manner.