⚖ 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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In re: Application — 4th Cir. (argued September 15, 2026)

No. 26-4303 Argued September 15, 2026 Published September 16, 2026

The Fourth Circuit hears a sealed dispute between LinkedIn and the United States. The Justice Department is investigating a national-security leak. An Eastern District of Virginia judge ordered LinkedIn to produce roughly nineteen hundred non-content records tied to six subscribers, and barred the company from notifying anyone. LinkedIn says the demand sweeps in irrelevant records and seeks permission to notify one person under tight restrictions, hoping that person can help narrow the request. The district court refused both changes, and LinkedIn appealed. The public record does not identify the journalist, the users, the alleged leak, or the evidence discussed under seal. The appeal asks whether the Stored Communications Act lets LinkedIn challenge the records order as overbroad, and whether the secrecy order violates the First Amendment. This recording contains only the public session; the court closed the courtroom for the rest of the argument.

In re: Application (No. 26-4303) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, argued September 15, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/OAarchive/mp3/26-4303-20260915.mp3
Argument listing — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit:https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/oral-argument/oral-argument-audio-files
Argument calendar — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit:https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/cal/internetcalSept152026.pdf
Public brief index — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit:https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/DataBriefs.aspx?CASENUM=26-4303
LinkedIn appeal statement — Microsoft:https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2026/09/15/protecting-customer-privacy-means-standing-up-for-transparency/
Report on the sealed LinkedIn dispute — Politico via Yahoo News:https://news.yahoo.com/articles/doj-seeking-reporter-linkedin-records-194925986.html
Stored Communications Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2703:https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2703
Nondisclosure orders, 18 U.S.C. § 2705:https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2705
Branzburg v. Hayes — U.S. Supreme Court:https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep408/usrep408665/usrep408665.pdf
United States v. Sterling — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit:https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/published/115028.p.pdf
Doe v. Mast — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit:https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/241900.P.pdf
Reed v. Town of Gilbert — U.S. Supreme Court:https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep576/usrep576155/usrep576155.pdf
Ari Holtzblatt — WilmerHale:https://www.wilmerhale.com/en/people/ari-holtzblatt
Ari Holtzblatt — State Bar of California:https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/354631

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