The Supreme Court blocked Texas’ social media law HB 20 from being enforced while under consideration by the lower courts with a 5-4 emergency ruling late Tuesday in NetChoice v. Ken Paxton. Justices Elena Kagan, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch opposed the request from CCIA and NetChoice to vacate the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ lifting of a preliminary injunction against HB 20. The only opinion provided was a dissent from Alito, joined by Thomas and Gorsuch, arguing that the tech groups aren’t likely to prevail on the merits and that by vacating the stay, SCOTUS is interfering with the authority of lower courts and the Texas state government. “The preliminary injunction entered by the District Court was itself a significant intrusion on state sovereignty, and Texas should not be required to seek preclearance from the federal courts before its laws go into effect,” Alito wrote. Said CCIA in a release: “We are encouraged that this attack on First Amendment rights has been halted until a court can fully evaluate the repercussions of Texas’s ill-conceived statute ... This ruling means that private American companies will have an opportunity to be heard in court before they are forced to disseminate vile, abusive or extremist content under this Texas law.” The Texas Attorney General’s office did not immediately comment.

Tech groups asked the Supreme Court for an emergency stay late Friday of a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals order allowing a Texas social media law to be enforced. Plaintiffs NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) applied for the stay with Supreme Court Justice for the 5th Circuit Samuel Alito, who may rule unilaterally or circulate the matter with the full court.

The U.S. Court of International Trade dealt a serious blow to the more than 3,600 lawsuits challenging Lists 3 and 4A Section 301 China tariffs, finding that the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative had the authority to impose those tariffs. In the highly anticipated opinion, the court ruled against the plaintiffs' argument that the USTR could not impose Section 301 tariffs because the government was responding to retaliatory tariffs from China.

Utah could be the fourth state with a comprehensive privacy law. The Senate voted 25-0 Thursday to concur with House amendments to SB-227.

Viper Holdings, parent company of Sound United, owner of Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Marantz, Polk Audio and other legacy audio brands, agreed to be acquired by connected-health company Masimo, said the companies Tuesday. The combined company “will leverage Sound United’s expertise across consumer channels” to speed distribution of Masimo’s “expanding portfolio of consumer products,” they said. Masimo markets oximeters, thermometers and other products derived from its business as a supplier to hospitals, says its website. The transaction is expected to close around midyear. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Google violated Section 337 of the 1930 Tariff Act by importing smart speakers, Pixel phones and other devices that infringe five Sonos multiroom audio patents, said the International Trade Commission’s notice of final determination Thursday, terminating the two-year investigation. “The appropriate remedies are a limited exclusion order and a cease and desist order against Google,” said the ITC. Heeding the recommendations of Chief Administrative Law Judge Charles Bullock, the commission set a 100% bond on the value of the infringing products imported during the 60-day presidential review period when the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative can affirm or reverse ITC’s finding or take no action.

CES 2022 will open Wednesday as scheduled with “2200+” in-person exhibitors, but will close Jan. 7, a day earlier than planned, as “an additional safety measure” to the show’s existing COVID-19 health protocols, announced CTA Friday. “CES is steadfast in its pledge to be the gathering place to showcase products and discuss ideas that will ultimately make our lives better,” said CTA President Gary Shapiro, who publicly hasn’t budged from his insistence that the show would go on amid the surge in cases nationally from COVID-19's omicron variant and the exodus of numerous big-name exhibitors for health and safety reasons. “We are shortening the show to three days and have put in place comprehensive health measures for the safety of all attendees and participants.” It's the first time in modern memory that CES will have run for fewer than four days.

Panasonic will participate in CES 2022 “in a hybrid fashion,” by offering “a fully virtual press conference and online experience that is open to the public,” plus a physical booth in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Central Hall with “limited staff,” emailed a spokesperson Thursday evening. The statement appeared as close as any legacy-brand CES exhibitor in the LVCC's Central Hall has come to announcing abandoning a physical CES 2022 presence amid the rapid spread of COVID-19's omicron variant. The show opens Wednesday.

CNET is participating in CES 2022, “just not in person,” emailed a spokesperson Monday evening. “We are a media partner and will continue to cover the show remotely,” she said. With COVID-19 and its omicron variant numbers on the rise, and “keeping employee and community safety top of mind,” CNET's parent company, Red Ventures, decided to “pause travel for all U.S.-based employees through mid-January,” she said. “CNET will now shift our CES focus to remote coverage.”

The Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice sued Texas over its social media law, after an industry lawsuit in Florida, the groups announced at around noon EDT Wednesday. Texas HB-20 enacted Sept. 9 prohibits "a targeted list of disfavored 'social media platforms' from exercising editorial discretion over content those platforms disseminate on their own privately owned websites and applications," CCIA and NetChoice said in U.S. District Court in Austin. The groups called it "an unconstitutional law."