TikTok’s future will hang in the balance Friday when the Supreme Court hears oral arguments over a federal law that could ban the video-sharing platform nationwide in less than 10 days.

In its waning days, the Biden-era Justice Department will square off in the courtroom against lawyers for TikTok and several creators in a seismic battle that pits national security against free speech.

“The whole point of the First Amendment is that the government can't shut down speech that it thinks is against its interests,” said Liberty Justice Center President Jacob Huebert, a member of the creators’ legal team.

Under the new law passed by bipartisan majorities in Congress, TikTok can no longer be offered on app stores beginning Jan. 19, unless TikTok divests from its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, or President Biden agrees to a delay.

With neither of those solutions likely, the Supreme Court’s agreement to take up TikTok’s challenge has emerged as the platform’s best remaining hope for a last-minute shakeup. TikTok has more than 170 million users nationwide.

The case has been complicated by the backdrop of a changing administration in Washington.

The Biden administration has been defending the law, which would ban TikTok the day before the inauguration. Friday’s argument is expected to be the final for Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who will lead the administration's defense of the law at the high court.

President-elect Trump, who has sympathized with the platform in its fight against a ban, is hoping the Supreme Court will issue a delay since he is set to take control of the White House and the Justice Department in less than two weeks.

© The Hill