October Term 2020 · Docket 19-511
Does a phone system storing numbers count as an automatic dialer?
Facebook argues the law targets only random number generators. Duguid argues the law covers any stored number system.
Verified source milestones
- — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.
- — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.
- — An official Court opinion was verified.
The arguments, in order
This case may have been argued more than once. Each entry below uses that session's official transcript. Later arguments do not erase earlier ones.
Argument 1 ·
What happened at the argument
Clement argued the statute requires a random or sequential number generator.
Ellis argued the grammar links the generator to both storing and producing numbers.
Garner argued the congressional purpose favors a broad interpretation of the law.
Read the official transcript for this argument · Official argument details
Sources used for this argument breakdown
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 25-47 — Transcript, file page 10, lines 25-47
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 53-55 — Transcript, file page 10, lines 53-55
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 13-15 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 13-15
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 19-25 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 19-25
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 53-15 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 53-15
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 43-47 — Transcript, file page 12, lines 43-47
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 15, lines 19-49 — Transcript, file page 15, lines 19-49
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 7-19 — Transcript, file page 17, lines 7-19
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 33-45 — Transcript, file page 28, lines 33-45
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 11-21 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 11-21
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 23-19 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 23-19
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 29-13 — Transcript, file page 50, lines 29-13
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 21-41 — Transcript, file page 6, lines 21-41
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 67, lines 17-39 — Transcript, file page 67, lines 17-39
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 67, lines 41-53 — Transcript, file page 67, lines 41-53
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 68, lines 17-13 — Transcript, file page 68, lines 17-13
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 29-41 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 29-41
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 70, lines 39-21 — Transcript, file page 70, lines 39-21
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 71, lines 45-31 — Transcript, file page 71, lines 45-31
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 72, lines 39-45 — Transcript, file page 72, lines 39-45
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 72, lines 51-7 — Transcript, file page 72, lines 51-7
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 73, lines 25-35 — Transcript, file page 73, lines 25-35
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 73, lines 43-49 — Transcript, file page 73, lines 43-49
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 74, lines 17-25 — Transcript, file page 74, lines 17-25
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 74, lines 31-35 — Transcript, file page 74, lines 31-35
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 74, lines 9-11 — Transcript, file page 74, lines 9-11
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 75, lines 27-11 — Transcript, file page 75, lines 27-11
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 23-33 — Transcript, file page 8, lines 23-33
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 85, lines 41-55 — Transcript, file page 85, lines 41-55
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 37-49 — Transcript, file page 9, lines 37-49
A citizen's guide to the whole case
What this case is about
The case tests the scope of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Facebook seeks a narrow reading of the dialer definition. Duguid seeks a broad reading that covers stored numbers.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 33-45 — Transcript, file page 28, lines 33-45
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 23-19 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 23-19
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 29-13 — Transcript, file page 50, lines 29-13
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 67, lines 17-39 — Transcript, file page 67, lines 17-39
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 85, lines 41-55 — Transcript, file page 85, lines 41-55
How the case got here
The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on December 8, 2020.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 11-21 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 11-21
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 75, lines 27-11 — Transcript, file page 75, lines 27-11
What each side wants
Facebook wants the Court to limit the dialer definition to random generators.
Duguid wants the Court to include stored numbers in the dialer definition.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 33-45 — Transcript, file page 28, lines 33-45
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 23-19 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 23-19
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 29-13 — Transcript, file page 50, lines 29-13
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 67, lines 17-39 — Transcript, file page 67, lines 17-39
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 85, lines 41-55 — Transcript, file page 85, lines 41-55
What each side says
Facebook argues the statute requires a random or sequential number generator.
Duguid argues the grammar links the generator to both storing and producing.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 33-45 — Transcript, file page 28, lines 33-45
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 23-19 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 23-19
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 29-13 — Transcript, file page 50, lines 29-13
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 67, lines 17-39 — Transcript, file page 67, lines 17-39
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 85, lines 41-55 — Transcript, file page 85, lines 41-55
What the justices asked
Justice Kagan asked if a knife counts as a firearm in a hypothetical.
Justice Thomas asked why a text message counts as a call under the law.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 25-47 — Transcript, file page 10, lines 25-47
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 53-55 — Transcript, file page 10, lines 53-55
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 13-15 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 13-15
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 19-25 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 19-25
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 53-15 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 53-15
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 43-47 — Transcript, file page 12, lines 43-47
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 15, lines 19-49 — Transcript, file page 15, lines 19-49
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 7-19 — Transcript, file page 17, lines 7-19
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 21-41 — Transcript, file page 6, lines 21-41
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 67, lines 41-53 — Transcript, file page 67, lines 41-53
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 68, lines 17-13 — Transcript, file page 68, lines 17-13
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 29-41 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 29-41
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 70, lines 39-21 — Transcript, file page 70, lines 39-21
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 71, lines 45-31 — Transcript, file page 71, lines 45-31
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 72, lines 39-45 — Transcript, file page 72, lines 39-45
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 72, lines 51-7 — Transcript, file page 72, lines 51-7
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 73, lines 25-35 — Transcript, file page 73, lines 25-35
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 73, lines 43-49 — Transcript, file page 73, lines 43-49
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 74, lines 17-25 — Transcript, file page 74, lines 17-25
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 74, lines 31-35 — Transcript, file page 74, lines 31-35
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 74, lines 9-11 — Transcript, file page 74, lines 9-11
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 75, lines 27-11 — Transcript, file page 75, lines 27-11
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 23-33 — Transcript, file page 8, lines 23-33
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 37-49 — Transcript, file page 9, lines 37-49
Why it matters
The outcome defines which phone systems face liability for unwanted calls. It shapes privacy protections for consumers nationwide. It determines the scope of federal regulation on technology.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 33-45 — Transcript, file page 28, lines 33-45
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 23-19 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 23-19
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 29-13 — Transcript, file page 50, lines 29-13
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 67, lines 17-39 — Transcript, file page 67, lines 17-39
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 85, lines 41-55 — Transcript, file page 85, lines 41-55
What happens next
This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 25-47 — Transcript, file page 10, lines 25-47
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 53-55 — Transcript, file page 10, lines 53-55
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 13-15 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 13-15
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 19-25 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 19-25
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 53-15 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 53-15
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 43-47 — Transcript, file page 12, lines 43-47
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 15, lines 19-49 — Transcript, file page 15, lines 19-49
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 7-19 — Transcript, file page 17, lines 7-19
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 11-21 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 11-21
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 21-41 — Transcript, file page 6, lines 21-41
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 67, lines 41-53 — Transcript, file page 67, lines 41-53
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 68, lines 17-13 — Transcript, file page 68, lines 17-13
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 29-41 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 29-41
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 70, lines 39-21 — Transcript, file page 70, lines 39-21
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 71, lines 45-31 — Transcript, file page 71, lines 45-31
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 72, lines 39-45 — Transcript, file page 72, lines 39-45
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 72, lines 51-7 — Transcript, file page 72, lines 51-7
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 73, lines 25-35 — Transcript, file page 73, lines 25-35
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 73, lines 43-49 — Transcript, file page 73, lines 43-49
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 74, lines 17-25 — Transcript, file page 74, lines 17-25
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 74, lines 31-35 — Transcript, file page 74, lines 31-35
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 74, lines 9-11 — Transcript, file page 74, lines 9-11
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 75, lines 27-11 — Transcript, file page 75, lines 27-11
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 23-33 — Transcript, file page 8, lines 23-33
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 37-49 — Transcript, file page 9, lines 37-49
Official Court provenance
Official docket and case history · Official Supreme Court oral-argument detail page
Verified official opinions and orders
Title and summary sources
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 33-45 — Transcript, file page 28, lines 33-45
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 23-19 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 23-19
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 29-13 — Transcript, file page 50, lines 29-13
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 67, lines 17-39 — Transcript, file page 67, lines 17-39
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 85, lines 41-55 — Transcript, file page 85, lines 41-55
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 33-45 — Transcript, file page 28, lines 33-45
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 23-19 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 23-19
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 50, lines 29-13 — Transcript, file page 50, lines 29-13
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 67, lines 17-39 — Transcript, file page 67, lines 17-39
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 85, lines 41-55 — Transcript, file page 85, lines 41-55
Revision history
- Revision 1 · Post Opinion ·
Correction: Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.
- Revision 2 · Post Opinion ·
Correction: Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.