TikTok Seeks Court Block on U.S. Divestment Order

ByteDance and TikTok filed an emergency motion Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, seeking to block a law requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok by January 19 or face a U.S. ban. The companies warned the law would shut down TikTok for its 170 million American users and harm businesses relying on the platform.

On Friday, an appeals court upheld the divestment order, leaving TikTok’s fate uncertain. ByteDance’s lawyers urged a delay to allow the Supreme Court to review the case and give President-elect Donald Trump time to potentially reverse the policy upon taking office on January 20.

The Justice Department opposed the motion, emphasizing the need for swift Supreme Court consideration. TikTok argued that the ruling threatens app functionality globally and risks disrupting support services in the U.S. starting January 19.

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