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A major federal court just changed the rules for millions of Americans who receive unwanted text messages. On July 14, 2026, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that text messages do not count as ‘telephone calls’ under a key part of federal law. The decision could make it much harder for people to sue companies over spam texts.

The ruling came in a lawsuit called Steidinger v. Blackstone Medical Services. The case centered on Section 227(c)(5) of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, or TCPA. The TCPA is a federal law that protects people from unwanted calls and texts. This section allows people to sue if they receive calls after placing their number on the National Do Not Call Registry.

The court decided that when Congress wrote the TCPA, the word ‘call’ meant a voice phone call — not a text message. Because of that, the Seventh Circuit said people cannot use Section 227(c)(5) to sue over unwanted texts alone. The Seventh Circuit covers federal courts in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. No other federal appeals court had made this ruling before, making it a first in the country.

This decision is a major win for businesses and a significant setback for consumers and their lawyers. Many class action lawsuits — where large groups of people sue together — have been filed under this section of the TCPA specifically over unwanted marketing texts. Those lawsuits may now face serious legal challenges in the Seventh Circuit’s region.

It is important to understand what this ruling does and does not do. It only applies to Section 227(c)(5) of the TCPA, which is tied to the Do Not Call Registry. Other parts of the TCPA still apply to text messages and may still allow lawsuits in certain situations. People who received unwanted automated texts may still have legal options under different sections of the law.

Legal experts expect this ruling to spark debate across the country. Other federal appeals courts may now weigh in on the same question, and the issue could eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court. For now, the decision stands as the law in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

If you believe you have received illegal spam texts and want to know your legal rights, speaking with a consumer protection attorney is the best next step. The law in this area is changing quickly, and an attorney can help you understand what options may still be available to you.

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