US court denies TikTok ban halt

WASHINGTON: A federal appeals court has left in place a mid-January deadline in a federal law requiring TikTok to be sold or face a ban in the United States, rejecting a request made by the company to halt enforcement until the Supreme Court reviews its challenge of the statute.

- Associated Press

Attorneys for TikTok and its China-based parent company, ByteDance, are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court.

It is unclear if the nation's highest court will take up the case, though some legal experts have said they expect the justices to weigh in due to the types of novel questions it raises about social media, national security and the First Amendment.

TikTok is also looking for a potential lifeline from President-elect Donald Trump, who promised to "save" the short-form video platform during the presidential campaign.