> But for displaying the table in the first place? Static HTML is invariably faster in my experience.

Okay, lets assume it is faster by whatever the latency is for a network request.

What sort of use-case are we talking about where a table is displayed on a content or e-commerce side and the user is not allowed to re-sort it?

It's all about the user's experience, not the developer's, and I can't see how a UX that prevents sorting is a better UX. Ditto for a sortable table that refreshes the page each time the user sorts it.