TikTok left with few options after Supreme Court hearing
After lawyers for TikTok defended the app to the Supreme Court and received a skeptical reception, it seems that there are only a few pathways left for the app.
After lawyers for TikTok appeared before the Supreme Court on Friday and received a skeptical reception, it seems only a few pathways remain for the platform’s future in the U.S.
If the Supreme Court votes to uphold the law that President Joe Biden signed in April, TikTok will shut down on Jan. 19, the day before Donald Trump takes office. The law requires TikTok to divest from its Chinese ownership and sell to a U.S. company. If the justices declare the law unconstitutional, TikTok can continue to exist as it is today for its 170 million American users — around half of the U.S. population.
But the direction of Friday’s oral arguments put that possibility into question.
There are a few factors that could play into other options. TikTok has asked to extend the timeline of the Supreme Court’s decision, a choice the justices can make to push back their final judgment. Trump has supported TikTok, filing an amicus brief in December to the Supreme Court to advocate for such an extension, which would bring the sale deadline into his presidential term. An extension, he said, would allow his administration (which is divided on TikTok) to pursue a “political resolution” for the app’s future.
It’s not entirely clear what form that would take.
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