The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a 1991 law that bars robocalls to cellphones.
The case, argued by telephone in May because of the coronavirus pandemic, only arose after Congress in 2015 created an exception in the law that allowed the automated calls for collection of government debt.
Political consultants and pollsters were among those who asked the Supreme Court to strike down the entire 1991 law that bars them from making robocalls to cellphones as a violation of their free speech rights under the Constitution. The issue was whether, by allowing one kind of speech but not others, the exception made the whole law unconstitutional.
Six justices agreed that by allowing debt collection calls to cellphones Congress "impermissibly favored debt-collection speech over political and other speech, in violation of the First Amendment," Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote. And seven justices agreed that the 2015 exception should be stricken from the law.
"Americans passionately disagree about many things. But they are largely united in their disdain for robocalls," Kavanaugh noted at the outset of his opinion.
During arguments in the case in May, Justice Stephen Breyer got cut off when someone tried calling him. Breyer said after he rejoined the court's arguments: "The telephone started to ring, and it cut me off the call and I don't think it was a robocall."
The Supreme Court will decide whether a disabled activist can file disability rights lawsuits against hotels she doesn't intend to visit.
Massachusetts Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced Monday that she will seek a third term in 2024.
The Biden administration has issued a statement saying it will veto a GOP-led bill aimed at bringing down energy costs by making it easier for energy companies to get permits for domestic drilling.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said lawmakers will move forward with a bill to address national security worries about TikTok.
President Joe Biden’s choice to run the Federal Aviation Administration has withdrawn his nomination, a setback for the administration that comes after Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington appeared to lack enough support in the closely divided Senate.
Facing a potential indictment, Donald Trump took a defiant stance at a rally Saturday in Waco, disparaging the prosecutors investigating him and predicting his vindication as he rallied supporters in a city made famous by deadly resistance against law enforcement.
While data privacy still remains one of TikTok's biggest challenges, it may face a larger problem in order to stay in the United States: content moderation.
King Charles III's visit to France was postponed because of ongoing protests.
Governor Spencer Cox signed two measures restricting how easily children in the state can access platforms like TikTok and Twitter, setting the precedent in the U.S.
The California state legislature has proposed a bill banning candies such as Skittles and Nerds due to their containing chemicals linked to increased risk of cancer and behavioral issues in children. The chemicals in questions are brominated vegetable oil, propyl paraben, potassium bromate, titanium dioxide, and red dye no. 3.
