WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is expected to announce its decision on Friday regarding the case involving the potential shutdown of popular social media platform TikTok. The court will determine whether TikTok must cease operations in the United States due to a federal law that mandates the sale of the platform by its Chinese parent company. This law, set to take effect on Sunday, has raised concerns surrounding free speech rights as well as national security implications.
The case has garnered significant attention as TikTok boasts a user base of 170 million people in the U.S. Last week, legal representatives for TikTok and ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, warned the court that the platform would cease to function on Sunday unless the law is temporarily halted or struck down. Despite arguments challenging the law on grounds of free speech, it appears that most of the justices are inclined to uphold it.
In a surprising turn of events, President-elect Donald Trump, who previously expressed support for banning TikTok, is reportedly exploring ways to keep the app operational. According to Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, Trump is considering options to “preserve” TikTok, though the extent of his authority to intervene remains uncertain. One potential course of action could involve directing the Justice Department not to enforce the law, which imposes sanctions on companies facilitating TikTok’s availability.
In a departure from usual practices, the Supreme Court indicated that it will release at least one decision on Friday without disclosing details in advance. This has led to speculation that the impending decision is likely related to the TikTok case. Typically, the court announces decisions on days when justices convene, with the next scheduled session set for Tuesday. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the justices will not be present in the courtroom to deliver their opinions, which will instead be posted on the court’s website shortly after 10 a.m. EST on Friday.
