The Supreme Court has agreed to take on a significant case regarding the controversial ban on the social media app TikTok, which raises questions about potential violations of the First Amendment. This decision comes just before President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office, adding a major case to the court's docket for the current term.
The high court has expedited the case and scheduled arguments to be heard on January 10. TikTok's appeal to the Supreme Court has brought the justices into a prominent dispute involving Congress, which has expressed national security concerns regarding China's influence over the app, and the app's users and executives, who argue that the ban infringes upon their First Amendment rights.
Congress passed the ban with bipartisan support earlier in the year, and President Joe Biden signed it into law in April. The ban was a response to longstanding worries in Washington about the potential national security risks posed by TikTok's Chinese parent company.
Recently, a federal appeals court in Washington, DC, upheld the ban in a unanimous ruling, stating that the government has a legitimate national security interest in regulating the platform within the United States.
