Los Angeles Lakers, Inc. v. Federal Insurance Co.

I thought we were interpreting a statute based on the elements of the cause of action it creates. But Judge Smith, writing for a divided court, insists that we must determine whether Congress enacted the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (the “TCPA”) only to prevent invasions of privacy, or whether it also meant to address other concerns. Maj. Op. at 801-02. I respectfully disagree. When Congress defines a cause of action based on specific and unambiguous statutory elements, what matters is what the statute says — not what motivated enactment of the statute.

Because nothing within the words…