⚖ 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

Shunevich, et al. v. Blanche — 9th Cir. (argued August 11, 2026)

No. 25-2454 Argued August 11, 2026 Published August 12, 2026; updated August 17, 2026

The Ninth Circuit reviews a Russian family's request for asylum and protection from removal. The serious-nonpolitical-crime bar blocks asylum when there are serious reasons, roughly probable cause, to believe a person committed such a crime abroad. Anton Shunevich has a Russian drug-trafficking conviction, but says his credible testimony described buying two grams of marijuana for personal use. Matter of Y-L creates a strong presumption that drug-trafficking felonies are particularly serious, with a narrow exception for extraordinary small-scale conduct. The family says the agency should use those factors by analogy. The government says that is a different legal bar and that the conviction, guilty plea, and repeated purchases are enough here. The family also challenges the agency's rejection of claims based on Russian police threats and possible torture.

Shunevich, et al. v. Blanche (No. 25-2454) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, argued August 11, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit:https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/media/2026/08/11/25-2454.mp3
Argument listing — Ninth Circuit media archive:https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/cases/streams-videos/archive?case=25-2454&hearingDate=2026-08-11
Argument calendar — Ninth Circuit:https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/cases/calendar/calendar-sitting/?casenum=25-2454
Appeal docket — Justia Dockets:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca9/25-2454
8 U.S.C. § 1158 — U.S. House of Representatives:https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title8-section1158
Relief from removal — Ninth Circuit immigration outline:https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/uploads/immigration/immig_west/B.%20Relief%20from%20Removal.htm
Matter of Y-L- — U.S. Department of Justice:https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2014/07/25/3464.pdf
8 C.F.R. § 1208.16 — eCFR:https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-8/chapter-V/subchapter-B/part-1208/subpart-B/section-1208.16

0:00
0:00