⚖ 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.

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Simmons v. Bauer Rentals — 9th Cir. (argued August 13, 2026)

No. 25-2238 Argued August 13, 2026 Published August 13, 2026; updated August 18, 2026

Kimeka Simmons and her children appeal a jury verdict for their former landlords. Simmons requested permission for an emotional-support animal, and the landlords later declined to renew her lease. The appeal asks whether two jury instructions wrongly used the landlords' subjective belief instead of what a reasonable landlord knew, and whether an instruction improperly invoked an interactive process the Fair Housing Act does not require.

Simmons v. Bauer Rentals (No. 25-2238) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, argued August 13, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — Ninth Circuit:https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/media/2026/08/13/25-2238.mp3
Argument record — Ninth Circuit:https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/cases/streams-videos/archive?case=25-2238&hearingDate=2026-08-13
District-court case background — GovInfo:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-caed-1_23-cv-00523/pdf/USCOURTS-caed-1_23-cv-00523-6.pdf
Appellate docket — Justia:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca9/25-2238
42 U.S.C. § 3604 — U.S. House of Representatives:https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=2023&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-2023-title42-section3604
Assistance animals — HUD:https://www.hud.gov/helping-americans/assistance-animals
Interactive process — Ninth Circuit (Howard):https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2021/02/23/18-55923.pdf
Accommodation elements — Ninth Circuit (Salisbury):https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2021/06/07/20-55039.pdf
Constructive knowledge — Ninth Circuit (2022):https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/memoranda/2022/12/27/22-55068.pdf
Constructive knowledge — Ninth Circuit (2024):https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/memoranda/2024/05/28/23-55378.pdf
Stuart E. Fagan — State Bar of California:https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/152732
Law Offices of Stuart E. Fagan:https://sfaganlaw.wordpress.com/about-us/
David M. Gilmore — State Bar of California:https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/105429
GM Legal:https://www.gmlegal.net/
Opinion search — Ninth Circuit:https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/decisions/opinions/
Memorandum search — Ninth Circuit:https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/decisions/memoranda/

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