A California federal judge will hear arguments Friday as part of an emergency push to delay enforcement of an executive order placing restrictions on the app WeChat .
U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler initially ruled Friday that an existing motion seeking a preliminary injunction was moot because the Commerce Department Friday morning detailed what transactions would be restricted on WeChat. But she left the door open for an emergency hearing on the matter, and the group that sued the Trump administration seeking the injunction, called the U.S. WeChat Users Alliance, plans to continue pressing its case.
The alliance, a nonprofit organization, sued the Trump administration in August to block the app from being restricted in the U.S. The group has said it isn’t affiliated with the app’s owner, Tencent Holdings Ltd.
Attorneys representing the alliance couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
The Trump administration said Friday it would ban U.S. downloads of Chinese-owned apps WeChat and TikTok after Sunday night, meaning the apps may have to be removed from marketplaces like Apple Inc.’s App Store and Google Play. The administration is also barring money transfers in the U.S. through WeChat.
