Federal Court Upholds Indiana Robocall Ban

INDIANAPOLIS -- 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.