IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
__________________________________________ ) TIKTOK INC.,
et al.
, ) ) Plaintiffs, ) ) v. ) Civil Action No. 1:20-CV-2658-CJN ) DONALD J. TRUMP, in his official capacity as )
REDACTED – ORIGINAL FILED
President of the United States,
et al.
, )
UNDER SEAL
) Defendants. ) __________________________________________)
DEFENDANTS’ MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION TO PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR A PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Background ..................................................................................................................................... 2
I.
Statutory Framework .......................................................................................................... 2
A.
The International Emergency Economic Powers Act ............................................. 2
B.
The National Emergencies Act ............................................................................... 3
II.
Factual Background on the PRC, ByteDance, and TikTok ................................................. 4
A.
The PRC Is a Significant and Growing National Security Threat .......................... 5
B.
Chinese Companies Are Not Purely Private, and Are Subject to Intrusive Laws Compelling Their Cooperation with Intelligence Agencies .......................... 6
C.
ByteDance Is Subject to Significant CCP Influence ............................................... 7
D.
TikTok’s U.S. Operations, Including Its Mass Collection of Data on U.S. Users ....................................................................................................................... 8
III.
The Government’s Response to these Growing Threats ................................................... 10
A.
The President Issues Executive Order 13873 ....................................................... 10
B.
The President Takes Action Relating to TikTok ................................................... 11
C.
The Department of Commerce’s Restrictions ....................................................... 12
Standard of Review ....................................................................................................................... 13
Discussion ..................................................................................................................................... 14
I.
Plaintiffs Have Not Established a Likelihood of Success on the Merits .......................... 14
A.
The
Commerce Identification
Is Consistent with IEEPA and the Berman Amendment ........................................................................................................... 14
1.
The Secretary Regulated Business-to-Business Transactions, Not Personal Communications ........................................................................ 15
2.
The Secretary Likewise Did Not Regulate Informational Materials ........ 17
B.
The Government’s Actions Are Consistent with the Administrative Procedures Act ...................................................................................................... 20
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Plaintiffs’ Arbitrary and Capricious Claims Are Not Reviewable ............ 20
2.
The Secretary Acted Rationally in Identifying the Prohibited Transactions .............................................................................................. 22
3.
The Secretary’s Decision Was Not Pretextual .......................................... 27
C.
The Government’s Actions Do Not Violate the First Amendment ....................... 29
1.
The Challenged Restrictions Are Not Subject to First Amendment Scrutiny Because They Are Directed at Business Transactions ................ 29
2.
At Most, Some Form of Intermediate Scrutiny Would Apply, Which the Prohibitions Amply Satisfy ................................................................. 32
D.
The Challenged Actions Do Not Violate Procedural Due Process ....................... 36
E.
The President’s Actions Are Otherwise Consistent with IEEPA .......................... 37
II.
Plaintiffs Have Not Proven Immediate, Urgent Irreparable Harm Justifying a Preliminary Injunction ...................................................................................................... 38
III.
The Balance of the Equities and Public Interest Strongly Favor the Government ........... 43
IV.
Any Relief Should Be Appropriately Limited, and Require Posting of a Bond ............... 44
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 45
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