⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

Real court arguments, crisp audio, with context.

Court recordings can be difficult to follow, and many suffer from poor audio quality. This podcast enhances the audio, provides a brief introduction to each case, and explains legal concepts that may be unfamiliar to some listeners.

We hope these enhancements make oral argument recordings easier to understand, more accessible, and more enjoyable to listen to.

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United States v. Monteiro — 1st Cir. (argued September 10, 2026)

No. 24-2020 Argued September 10, 2026 Published September 12, 2026

The First Circuit hears Robert Monteiro's appeal from a cocaine-conspiracy conviction. Prosecutors said Patrick Joseph's organization mailed cocaine from Puerto Rico to Massachusetts, often hidden in air fryers or cash boxes. At trial, a cooperating witness and surveillance tied Monteiro to Joseph, package pickups, and a suspected drug exchange. After a jury convicted Monteiro, he appealed. He now argues that officers should not have been allowed to opine that unopened packages contained cocaine, and that the remaining evidence did not show he knowingly joined the conspiracy.

United States v. Monteiro (No. 24-2020) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, argued September 10, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/sites/ca1/files/oralargs/24-2020_20260910.mp3
Argument listing — U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit:https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/doar/results/2026-09
September 2026 argument calendar — U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit:https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/sites/ca1/files/calendar.pdf?simple=True
Appellate docket — Justia:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca1/24-2020
Monteiro conviction — U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts:https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/brockton-man-convicted-cocaine-conspiracy
Search-warrant affidavit filed in United States v. Joseph:https://www.universalhub.com/images/2021/airfryer-affidavit.pdf
Order denying post-trial motions — U.S. District Court record via Docket Alarm:https://www.docketalarm.com/cases/Massachusetts_District_Court/1--21-cr-10231/USA_v._Joseph_et_al/703/
Federal Rules of Evidence — U.S. Courts:https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/2025-02/federal-rules-of-evidence-dec-1-2024.pdf
United States v. Valdivia — U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit:https://media.ca1.uscourts.gov/pdf.opinions/08-1547P-01A.pdf

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