Supreme Court throws TikTok a lifeline ahead of looming ban

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in TikTok‘s challenge to a law set to go into effect on the last day of the Biden presidency, which would ban the popular app if its Chinese parent company does not sell it.

The justices granted certiorari Wednesday to take up the petition filed by ByteDance, which owns TikTok. The court will hear arguments on January 10 about whether the federal law that seeks to ban the app on national security grounds is in violation of free speech laws.

TikTok filed the challenge on Monday, arguing that the law, which was enacted with bipartisan support in April, impermissibly restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. Congress passed the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act earlier this year over concerns that the app’s Chinese ownership presented a national security risk.

The popular social media platform has more than 170 million users in the U.S.

It’s unclear how quickly the high court might issue a decision. There are only nine days between oral arguments and the effective date of the ban.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.