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Federal Court Upholds Indiana Robocall Ban

Carissa Rogers
/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/goodncrazy/5531939741

A federal court says an Indiana law banning robocalls can bar political calls without violating the First Amendment. 

Indiana law bars anyone from making autodialed phone calls with just three exceptions – schools sending messages to parents, students and employees, employers calling workers about their schedule, or callers that have an existing relationship with a subscriber. 

A political group, Patriotic Veterans, wanted to send robocalls to Hoosiers informing them about where candidates and lawmakers stand on veterans’ issues. Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller sought to stop them.

A federal judge sided with Zoeller. The judge says the law doesn’t violate freedom of speech because the ban doesn’t single-out political calls and that the government has a compelling interest to protect Hoosiers’ privacy. 

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.
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