TikTok has petitioned the Supreme Court for an emergency injunction as the January 19th ban deadline approaches, following a meeting between TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew and President-elect Trump.

The Supreme Court Building. Photo Credit: Joe Ravi

The petition comes after an appellate panel upheld the law requiring TikTok to either sell its U.S. operations or face a complete shutdown. ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, maintains that a forced sale is operationally unfeasible.

Key points from TikTok's 50-page Supreme Court petition:

• Labels the ban as "a massive and unprecedented speech restriction"
• Warns of "substantial and unrecoverable monetary and competitive harms"
• Highlights potential damage to small businesses on the platform
• Emphasizes technical complexity of U.S.-only shutdown
• Requests Supreme Court ruling by January 6th

The situation remains critical as:

• The ban deadline is January 19th, one day before Trump's inauguration
• Congress has notified Google and Apple to prepare for app store removal
• TikTok needs lead time to implement potential shutdown procedures
• The platform continues facing regulatory scrutiny globally

Without Supreme Court intervention, extension from the president, or successful divestment, TikTok will cease U.S. operations on January 19th. Despite a recent meeting between Trump and TikTok's CEO, and Trump's acknowledged "warm spot" for the app, the deadline remains unchanged.

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