⚖ 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.

Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube /feed.xml Open RSS

Atkinson v. Pustilnik — 5th Cir. (argued August 31, 2026)

No. 25-20513 Argued August 31, 2026 Published September 5, 2026

The Fifth Circuit hears Atkinson versus Pustilnik. Yvette Atkinson alleges that a county medical examiner retaliated against her lawsuit by falsely classifying her husband's death as a homicide. A federal judge dismissed her civil-rights claims, finding that the complaint did not adequately allege a constitutional violation. The appeal asks whether her complaint adequately states retaliation and due-process claims. Eden Quainton, of Quainton Law, represents Atkinson and will seek to revive her claims.

Atkinson v. Pustilnik (No. 25-20513) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, argued August 31, 2026.

Sources
Official argument audio — Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/OralArgRecordings/25/25-20513_8-31-2026.mp3
Official argument listing — Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/oral-argument-recordings?from=2026-08-31&to=2026-09-05
District court opinion and order — October 8, 2025:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-txsd-4_22-cv-04315/pdf/USCOURTS-txsd-4_22-cv-04315-3.pdf
Appeal docket — case and counsel:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca5/25-20513
Quainton Law — attorney profile:https://quaintonlaw.net/our-team
Court-record confirmation of Quainton's firm:https://www.opn.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/25a0310p-06.pdf
Fort Bend County Attorney — litigation staff:https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/county-attorney/divisions/litigation
State Bar of Texas — Kevin Hedges:https://www.texasbar.com/attorneys/member.cfm?id=171442
Paul v. Davis — reputational harm and due process:https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/424/693/
Tebo — Fifth Circuit stigma-plus analysis:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/07/07-60659-CV0.wpd.pdf
Texas Health and Safety Code § 191.052:https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/HS/htm/HS.191.htm#191.052
Reliastar — death records as rebuttable evidence:https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/texas/txsdce/7%3A2007cv00140/511110/27/0.pdf
In re Martin — rebuttable death-record evidence:https://cases.justia.com/texas/sixth-court-of-appeals/2023-06-22-00061-cv.pdf?ts=1683031268

0:00
0:00