in court
A judge in Montana has blocked the state from banning the use of TikTok on state-owned phones after the app’s critics argued that such a move would violate free speech and the First Amendment.
The ruling comes as a major setback for opponents of the app, who have suffered a string of defeats in court this year. Previous attempts to block the app have failed in Pennsylvania, Arkansas, and West Virginia.
The Montana judge ruled that the move by Montana Governor Greg Gianforte violated the state and federal constitution by attempting to limit free speech, saying that the state had not provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate that banning the app was a necessary move to protect state citizens.
The ruling is the latest in a series of legal losses faced by those opposed to the app, with previous attempts to stop it from operating facing various judicial roadblocks.
The ruling is a major boost for the app’s millions of users, which skyrockets in popularity due to its short-form videos. It is also a big victory for free speech advocates who have argued that content-based censorship has no place in society.
