Trump asks Supreme Court docket to pause legislation that would ban TikTok

By Kanishka Singh and Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President-elect Donald Trump has urged the U.S. Supreme Court docket to pause implementation of a legislation that will ban common social media app TikTok or pressure its sale, arguing he ought to have time after taking workplace to pursue a “political decision” to the problem.

The court docket is ready to listen to arguments within the case on Jan. 10.

The legislation would require TikTok’s Chinese language proprietor, ByteDance, to promote the platform to an American firm or face a ban. The U.S. Congress voted in April to ban it until ByteDance sells the app by Jan. 19.

TikTok, which has over 170 million U.S. customers, and its dad or mum have sought to have the legislation struck down. But when the court docket doesn’t rule of their favor and no divestment happens, the app could possibly be successfully banned in the US on Jan. 19, at some point earlier than Trump takes workplace.

Trump’s help for TikTok is a reversal from 2020, when he tried to dam the app in the US and pressure its sale to American firms due to its Chinese language possession.

It additionally reveals the numerous effort by the corporate to forge inroads with Trump and his crew through the presidential marketing campaign.

“President Trump takes no place on the underlying deserves of this dispute,” mentioned D. John Sauer, Trump’s lawyer who can also be the president-elect’s decide for U.S. solicitor basic.

“As a substitute, he respectfully requests that the Court docket contemplate staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, whereas it considers the deserves of this case, thus allowing President Trump’s incoming administration the chance to pursue a political decision of the questions at difficulty within the case,” he added.

Trump beforehand met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in December, hours after the president-elect expressed he had a “heat spot” for the app and that he favored permitting TikTok to maintain working in the US for a minimum of a short while.

The president-elect additionally mentioned he had obtained billions of views on the social media platform throughout his presidential marketing campaign.

TikTok didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

The corporate has beforehand mentioned the Justice Division has misstated its ties to China, arguing its content material suggestion engine and consumer information are saved in the US on cloud servers operated by Oracle Corp (NYSE:ORCL) whereas content material moderation choices that have an effect on U.S. customers are made in the US as nicely.

Free speech advocates individually instructed the Supreme Court docket on Friday the U.S. legislation towards TikTok evokes the censorship regimes put in place by the US’ authoritarian enemies.

The U.S. Justice Division has argued Chinese language management of TikTok poses a seamless risk to nationwide safety, a place supported by most U.S. lawmakers.

Montana Legal professional Common Austin Knudsen led a coalition of twenty-two attorneys basic on Friday in submitting an amicus temporary asking the Supreme Court docket to uphold the nationwide TikTok divest-or-ban laws.