TikTok’s last-ditch injunction hope has crumbled. As of Dec. 14, the Federal appeals court has officially rejected the company’s injunction. TikTok filed the emergency motion to temporarily pause the ban, which was due to take effect on Jan. 19. This pause would have given TikTok time to take its case to the Supreme Court.
However, the trio of judges who rejected TikTok’s bid to challenge the “sell-or-ban” law last week has once again laid down the law—literally.
The Story Behind Tiktok’s Injunction
TikTok’s case is a response to the “sell or ban” law enacted by President Joe Biden in April. The law was born out of concern over ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company.
Specifically, concerns were raised over national security and the possibility of China accessing American TikTok users’ data.
The law gives TikTok two options: sever ties with ByteDance, or face being banned. If TikTok doesn’t sever ties by Jan. 19, the app will be banned from US app stores.
TikTok and its creators have fought valiantly against this ban, arguing that the app’s ban would violate Americans’ First Amendment right to freedom of speech. But for judges so far, that hasn’t been enough.
The Supreme Court still might reverse this judgment at the eleventh hour, but right now, it’s looking unlikely.
