During a 1.5-hour emergency hearing Sunday, Judge Carl Nichols said his intent is to deliver either an injunction blocking US government restrictions that are expected to take effect at midnight Eastern time, or to deny TikTok's request for immediate relief.
The ruling could have sweeping implications for TikTok's 100 million US users.
While it is too soon to tell how Nichols may decide, he appeared to tip his hand somewhat while pressing the Justice Department to defend why it believes TikTok received enough due process in the matter.
It appears, Nichols said, that "this was largely a unilateral decision with very little opportunity for plaintiffs to be heard and the result, whether we're talking about November or tonight, is a fairly significant deprivation."
Under a Commerce Department announcement this month, TikTok downloads would be banned on Sept. 20, and further restrictions would go into effect November 12 making it illegal for internet backbone companies to carry TikTok's internet traffic.
Commerce delayed the September 20 deadline last weekend after President Donald Trump tentatively blessed an agreement involving TikTok, its Chinese parent ByteDance, Oracle and Walmart that aims to address Trump's national security concerns about the app.
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