Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Executive Order Banning TikTok Downloads

A federal judge issued a last-minute ruling against President Trump's executive order banning new TikTok downloads, which would have taken effect Sunday night. Judge Carl Nichols granted TikTok a preliminary injunction but had yet to release a written opinion justifying his decision. For now, TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, can operate until a full court hearing that has yet to be scheduled. ByteDance is still in negotiations with Oracle and Walmart for a potential deal that would allow for an American company to oversee its U.S. operations. Separate from Nichols’ decision, the U.S. Commerce Department plans to completely ban the app by Nov. 12 if the company does not reach a deal with an American firm. The injunction is the latest update in the ongoing saga between TikTok and the Trump administration, which has alleged since early August that the app is a national security threat.