WASHINGTON—In anticipation of tomorrow’s oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University today said the Court should strike down the TikTok ban, which, at its core, is an effort to restrict Americans’ access to information and ideas from abroad. The Institute, along with Free Press and PEN America, filed an amicus brief in the case late last month, arguing that the ban violates the First Amendment. 

The following can be attributed to Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute:

“Restricting citizens’ access to foreign media is a practice that has long been associated with the world’s most repressive regimes, and it would be deeply unfortunate if the Supreme Court let this practice take root here.  This law imposes a sweeping and unjustified restraint on Americans’ First Amendment rights, and the Court should strike it down for that reason.” 

The Institute’s amicus brief urged the Court to scrutinize the ban especially closely, because it is viewpoint-motivated; “forecloses an entire medium of expression online”; and “recalls practices that have long been associated with the world’s most repressive regimes.” Furthermore, it noted that the government has no legitimate interest in banning Americans from accessing foreign speech, even if that speech reflects foreign manipulation, and that while the government has a legitimate interest in protecting Americans from covert propaganda and safeguarding their personal data, these interests can be achieved through less restrictive means. 

Read the amicus brief here.

Read more about the case here.

The Knight Institute is available for comment before or after tomorrow’s argument. Contact: Adriana Lamirande, [email protected]. 

Lawyers on the case include Jameel Jaffer, Alex Abdo, and Xiangnong Wang from the Knight Institute.