Syed Imran Haider 
On Friday, both TikTok and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) asked a US appeals court for setting a fast-track schedule regarding their legal dispute.
The legal issue is in relation to a new law. ByteDance, based in China, must divest TikTok’s US assets by January 19th, or face a ban.
The request
A group of content creators on TikTok, ByteDance and TikTok all joined hands with the DOJ to make the request.
They have asked the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to issue a ruling by December 6th. This would give them time to ask the Supreme Court for a review before the January 19th deadline.
A group of TikTok creators also filed a lawsuit on Tuesday for blocking the law that could see the app banned.
About 170 million Americans use TikTok and the creators said that it had had a huge impact on American life.
TikTok and its parent company ByteDance filed a similar lawsuit the week before that. They argued that the law is a violation of the US Constitution in different ways.
This includes the violation of the First Amendment free speech protections. The TikTok petitioners and the DOJ said given the large number of TikTok users, there is a significant interest in the matter.
They said that the public wants to see quick disposition of the matter. According to TikTok, a fast-track schedule is better for resolving the legal matter quickly.
This would save it from having to ask for emergency preliminary injunctive relief.
The law
On April 24th, President Joe Biden signed the law in question. It has set a deadline of January 19th to ByteDance to either sell TikTok or face a ban in the country.
According to the White House, they do not want a ban on TikTok. They just want to see Chinese-based ownership end due to national security concerns.
The parties requested the court to set up oral arguments for the case as soon as practical during the case calendar in September.
The Justice Department added that classified materials may be filed with the court in secret. This would be aimed at supporting their justifications for national concerns.
The DOJ had also said earlier in the week that the TikTok law addressed concerns of national security. It said that the law was consistent with the First Amendment rights and other areas of the Constitution.
Additional details
According to the law, app stores like Alphabet’s Google and Apple, will not be permitted to offer TikTok. It would also prevent internet hosting services from TikTok support unless ByteDance divests from it.
Congress overwhelmingly passed the law in a few weeks after it was introduced. US lawmakers are concerned that China could use the app to spy on Americans and access data on them.
