Appeals Court to Hear TikTok Ban Challenge Sept. 16

Monday, a U.S. appeals court announced oral arguments on Sept. 16 on legal challenges to a new legislation mandating China-based ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. assets by Jan. 19 or be banned

On May 14, a group of TikTok creators filed a lawsuit to prevent the law from banning the app, which 170 million Americans use.

The creators claimed that the law has had a “profound impact on American life,” following an identical lawsuit filed by TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance.

The destiny of TikTok will be decided during the final weeks of the 2024 presidential election during the hearing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Earlier this month, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump joined TikTok and has expressed apprehension regarding the possibility of a ban.

The Justice Department must submit its legal brief by July 26, and the creators, TikTok and ByteDance, must file theirs by Thursday. Reply briefs are due by August 15.

To pursue a review from the Supreme Court if necessary, TikTok and the Justice Department have requested a judgment by December 6.

On June 6, the Liberty Justice Center filed a third legal challenge for BASED Politics Inc., a conservative organization that publishes videos on TikTok.

The law, which President Joe Biden signed on April 24, provides ByteDance with until January 19 to sell TikTok or face a ban.

The White House has expressed its desire to terminate Chinese-based ownership for national security reasons but has not imposed a moratorium on TikTok.

The law forbids app stores such as Apple (AAPL.O) and Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL.O) from offering TikTok and prevents internet hosting services from supporting TikTok unless ByteDance divests it.

The measure was enacted by Congress with a resounding majority just weeks after it was introduced as a result of concerns among U.S. lawmakers that China could access data on Americans or spy on them using the app.