TikTok Survives President Trump’s Ban For Now, But Legal Battle is Not Over

TikTok lives to see another day after the Commerce Department issued a new ruling. The Chinese-based app became a point of controversy after President Trump alleged it was a national security threat and issued an executive order demanding the parent company ByteDance sell to a U.S. based company or face a nationwide ban. This led to several federal lawsuits against the president that argued that the ban was “unlawful, unconstitutional and an impermissible prior restraint of speech.” Unfortunately for the president and his legal team, most judges have been ruling in favor of the app, agreeing the order was an overstep of emergency powers. The Commerce Department has now issued a notice saying they will not enforce the ban. While this comes as a win for TikTok and its users, the fight is not over. Attorneys are already appealing several recent rulings. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will also hear oral arguments in TikTok v. Trump on December 14th.