⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

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Rifat, et al. v. Steele, et al. — 9th Cir. (Oct 26, 2026)

No. 25-3862 Argued October 26, 2026 Published October 28, 2026

The Ninth Circuit hears a dispute over a search of a lawyer's emails. During a criminal investigation, David Steele obtained a warrant covering more than two years of attorney Matthew Rifat's emails. Rifat says the application offered conclusions, not facts tying him to a crime. He sued Steele for an unconstitutional search, but the district court dismissed the claim under qualified immunity. An invalid warrant does not automatically make an officer liable for damages; qualified immunity can protect reasonable mistakes. The question is whether this application was so deficient that a reasonable investigator would have known not to seek the warrant. Eugene Iredale will ask the court to let the claim proceed.

Rifat, et al. v. Steele, et al. (No. 25-3862) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, argued October 26, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — official Ninth Circuit original; volume balanced, initial administrative case call and preparation pause omitted, all advocacy retained:https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/media/2026/10/26/25-3862.mp3
Argument date and recording — official Ninth Circuit archive:https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/cases/streams-videos/archive?case=25-3862&hearingDate=2026-10-26
Email search and dismissal under qualified immunity — February 15, 2023 district court order:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-casd-3_21-cv-01667/pdf/USCOURTS-casd-3_21-cv-01667-2.pdf
Warrants and qualified immunity — Messerschmidt v. Millender, majority pages 546–548:https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep565/usrep565535/usrep565535.pdf
Counsel identities and represented sides — public appellate clerk docket mirror:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca9/25-3862

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