Nine days and nine justices are all that can stop the TikTok ban now

TikTok is facing a ban in the U.S. on January 19. However, there is a glimmer of hope the app may not be banned, with TikTok’s fate being decided at the nation’s highest court.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments about the federal law that bans TikTok in the U.S. if ByteDance, its Chinese parent company, doesn’t sell or divest the popular video app. The hearings will begin on January 10, and justices will hear arguments about whether the law to ban TikTok violates the First Amendment by restricting speech (via AP).

“We’re pleased with today’s Supreme Court order. We believe the Court will find the TikTok ban unconstitutional so the over 170 million Americans on our platform can continue to exercise their free speech rights,” TikTok said in a press release.

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ByteDance is being forced to either sell or divest its U.S. assets or face a ban.

Time is running out for TikTok

TikTok is hoping either the Supreme Court or President-elect Trump will save them

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In April, the U.S. Congress passed a bill to ban TikTok in the U.S. unless Bytedance sells or divests the app. TikTok argues it shouldn’t be banned in the U.S. since “at its core, its 170 million American users.” TikTok says the ban would also affect small businesses and creators that rely on the app for revenue, with small businesses losing more than $1 billion in revenue and creators losing $300 million in earnings.

How fast a decision might come from the Supreme Court is unknown. The deadline for TikTok’s ban is January 19. It’s possible the Supreme Court could delay the ban past that date until its final ruling. However, that would require five of the nine justices on the court to think the ban is unconstitutional.

TikTok’s ban is set to go into effect the day before President-elect Trump’s inauguration on January 20. In a past court injunction, TikTok referenced Trump in its court filing, citing his comments on saving the app as a reason to delay the law’s implementation. President-elect Trump recently said during a press conference he would “take a look” at the TikTok ban and that he has “a warm spot in his heart for TikTok.” Whatever happens, the doomsday clock of January 19 for TikTok is fast approaching, and the Supreme Court’s ruling could decide the future of the app’s operations in the U.S.

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