Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Planned TikTok Ban
A federal judge in Pennsylvania issues a nationwide injunction that halts a key part of President Trump's executive order against TikTok. The ruling states the administration oversteps its authority by using emergency economic powers based on hypothetical national security threats.
A federal judge in Pennsylvania blocks the Trump administration from banning U.S. transactions with TikTok, stopping a key part of the order from taking effect on Nov. 12. This ruling follows a previous legal setback in Washington, D.C., and effectively places the entire Aug. 6 executive order against the video-sharing app on hold while the legal battles continue.
U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone rules that President Trump exceeds his authority by invoking emergency economic powers to impose these sanctions. She points out that the government describes the national security threat posed by the app in purely hypothetical terms, concluding that this supposed risk does not outweigh the public interest in preventing the president from overstepping his legal bounds.
Despite this injunction, TikTok still faces a significant deadline on Nov. 12 from a separate order that forces the app to divest completely from its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance. Talks between TikTok and potential U.S. buyers remain ongoing as the company hopes to reach a deal before this separate divestment mandate takes effect.