When Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed one of the broadest bans on TikTok last Wednesday, critics speculated it would be just a matter of time before someone sued to block the law from taking effect. Turns out, fans of the short-form video app didn’t have to wait very long. On Thursday, five social media creators filed a federal lawsuit against Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who would be the key government official involved in authorizing and enforcing the TikTok ban once it becomes law next January. The lawsuit argues that the ban creates a “prior restraint” on free speech. Does Montana’s TikTok ban violate free speech? This matter was settled by the U.S. Supreme Court back in 1971 when the New York Times sued the federal government for trying to block the paper from publishing news articles on the “Pentagon Papers,” documents that related to the war in Vietnam. The New York Times case found that the government couldn’t prevent a news organization from publishing something because they had a First Amendment right to free press, and it remains one of the landmark free speech cases in America. As the New York Times did back then, the five creators argue that Montana’s TikTok ban violates their First Amendment right to free speech. They also argue that the ban is unconstitutional because it violates the Fourteenth Amendment, which affords individuals due process, as well as the Foreign Affairs and Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. .stk-664d8d5{box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(120,120,120,0.1) !important}.stk-664d8d5-container{background-color:#f3f3f3…Content creators sue to block Montana’s TikTok ban