TikTok’s Good Week in US Courts Deals a Setback to State Curbs

A federal judge’s order blocking Montana’s first-in-the-nation TikTok ban from going into effect is the latest blow to states’ efforts to rein in the social media app owned by the China-based Bytedance Ltd.

The preliminary injunction also puts a damper on a push by Congress earlier this year to ban the app or force its sale to a US company, a campaign that was already dissipating. Digital rights groups called the state and federal drive to ban TikTok futile and a distraction.

“We see over and over again this year states passing laws that are censoring the internet, and courts ...