The Slatest

Tommy Tutone Gets Its Day in the Supreme Court When Kagan Dials 867–5309

Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena Kagan attends U.S. President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech before a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol February 12, 2013

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Daily Beast flags what surely can’t be complete coincidence: In her written opinion on American Trucking Association v. City of Los Angeles, Justice Elena Kagan dropped what appears to be a pretty obvious reference to 80s power pop band Tommy Tutone. Here’s the relevant passage from Kagan’s opinion (emphasis added):

Under that contract, a company may transport cargo at the Port in exchange for complying with various requirements. The two directly at issue here compel the company to (1) affix a placard on each truck with a phone number for reporting environmental or safety concerns (You’ve seen the type: “How am I driving? 213–867–5309”) and (2) submit a plan listing off-street parking locations for each truck when not in service.

Just in case those digits don’t ring a bell, here’s your reminder: