⚖ 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. Ramirez-Ramirez — 5th Cir. (Aug 6, 2026)

No. 25-20155 Argued August 6, 2026 Published August 11, 2026; updated August 21, 2026

The Fifth Circuit hears United States versus Ramirez-Ramirez. This criminal appeal comes from a cocaine case. Federico Reynal represents Antonio Ramirez-Ramirez. He will challenge English transcripts of Spanish calls because the Drug Enforcement Administration translator did not testify, and two sentence increases: one involving conduct underlying acquitted charges, and one for possessing a gun in connection with drug trafficking. Kristian Amundsen represents the United States. He will argue that a Spanish-speaking informant who joined the calls verified the transcripts and was cross-examined. The government concedes a translated text message was admitted in error but will call it harmless and defend the sentence. Under the Sixth Amendment, the accused can question the witnesses against him. A 2024 guideline amendment generally excludes acquitted conduct from the guideline calculation unless it also establishes the offense of conviction.

United States v. Ramirez-Ramirez (No. 25-20155) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, argued August 6, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/OralArgRecordings/25/25-20155_08-06-2026.mp3
Argument listing — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/oral-argument-recordings/results?from=2026-08-06&to=2026-08-06
Argument calendar — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/court-calendars/sitting?d=2026-08-06
Opinion index — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions?docket=25-20155
Pretrial detention order — U.S. District Court (GovInfo):https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-txsd-4_23-cr-00565/pdf/USCOURTS-txsd-4_23-cr-00565-0.pdf
Sixth Amendment — Constitution Annotated:https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-6/
Sentencing Guidelines Amendment 826 — U.S. Sentencing Commission:https://www.ussc.gov/guidelines/amendment/826

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