The US appeals court will hear the TikTok lawsuit in September

The US Court of Appeals on Tuesday set a timetable for fast-track hearings in a lawsuit over a new US law that gives China's ByteDance until January 19, 2025, to divest TikTok's US assets.

TikTok, ByteDance and a group of TikTok content creators, along with the US Department of Justice, asked the District of Columbia Court of Appeals to rule on the new US law banning TikTok by December 6 this year to ensure that the parties have time to ask the Supreme Court for a review before the January 19 deadline if necessary.

Reuters reported that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Tuesday ordered oral arguments on the lawsuit to be held in September.

According to the timetable set by the appeals court, TikTok, ByteDance and a group of TikTok content creators must file legal documents by June 20, the US Department of Justice must file legal documents by July 26, and the defense must be filed by August 15.

US President Joe Biden signed a new law on April 24, giving ByteDance until January 19 to sell TikTok or face a ban. The White House said it would like to see China end its ownership of TikTok for national security reasons, but doesn't want to ban it.

Bytedance and TikTok subsequently filed a joint lawsuit against the US government on May 7, claiming that the "sell or ban" law violates the US Constitution, including the First Amendment's protection of free speech. A group of TikTok users also filed a lawsuit in a US court on the 14th, challenging the US approach against TikTok.