In a high-stakes legal battle, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has made an emphatic plea to the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a looming law that demands TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, sell the popular app or face a nationwide ban by January 19.
In a sharply worded brief, McConnell dismissed TikTok’s legal arguments as baseless and accused the company of attempting to delay enforcement until the incoming administration could potentially reverse course. Comparing the situation to legal maneuvers by “hardened criminals,” he urged the court to reject TikTok’s appeal outright.
Congress had set the January deadline with bipartisan support, McConnell argued, to ensure the law’s implementation was free from political interference, emphasizing its backing under the current administration.
TikTok has countered that President-elect Donald Trump opposes banning the app, raising questions about the future enforcement of the law. Advocacy groups like the ACLU, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Knight First Amendment Institute also voiced concerns, warning that banning TikTok would stifle free expression and disrupt millions of Americans’ daily communications.
If upheld, the law would block new TikTok downloads from app stores and gradually degrade access for existing users, as service providers would be prohibited from offering updates or support. TikTok claims such restrictions could drive away a significant portion of its 170 million U.S. users within weeks.
The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on January 10, with the clock ticking for TikTok and its users.
