The Justice Department and TikTok faced off in federal court over a law that would require the app to break ties with the Chinese-controlled parent company, ByteDance, or be banned in the U.S. Geoff Bennett discussed the developments with NPR’s Bobby Allyn.

TikTok faced sharp questions from a US appeals court on Monday as the company scrambles to block a law that will force China-based ByteDance to sell the video-sharing app by Jan. 19 or face a total ban.

Federal judges had some big questions for the company — and about an unprecedented law that could ban the popular app.

TikTok faces an uphill battle to avoid a US ban if its Chinese owner doesn’t sell the a app, judging from a grilling by an appellate court panel. Matthew Schettenhelm Media Litigation Analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence joins Bloomberg Intelligence to break down what this will mean for the app and its competition.

A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit signaled skepticism of TikTok’s argument Monday that the law signed by President Biden banning the video-sharing app would violate the company’s free speech rights.

The 2-hour hearing Monday allowed TikTok and the government to give Appeals Court judges their opinions on a potential TikTok ban.