⚖ 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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Burton, et al. v. State of Arizona, et al. — 9th Cir. (Oct 26, 2026)

No. 25-4818 Argued October 26, 2026 Published October 28, 2026

The Ninth Circuit considers a married couple's defamation suit over an Arizona police press release. After the Burtons were arrested in 2019, police published a post describing alleged fraud in business dealings and food-stamp benefits. A court commissioner had already ordered their release, finding insufficient grounds to keep them in custody. The Burtons say the post presented disputed accusations as established facts and harmed their reputations. The district court ended their case without a trial, finding the post substantially true when read in context. That doctrine allows minor inaccuracies if they do not materially change the publication's overall sting. Their lawyer will ask for a jury to decide the disputed facts; the state will defend the judge's ruling. Listen for the difference between accurately reporting criminal charges and asserting that someone actually committed the underlying wrongdoing.

Burton, et al. v. State of Arizona, et al. (No. 25-4818) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, argued October 26, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — official Ninth Circuit original; complete advocacy and submission retained; conservative volume balancing only:https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/media/2026/10/26/25-4818.mp3
Argument date and recording — official Ninth Circuit archive, October 26, 2026:https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/cases/streams-videos/archive?case=25-4818&hearingDate=2026-10-26
Official case, date, panel and recording metadata:https://oldrbx80f5.execute-api.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/prod/media/25-4818?hearingDate=2026-10-26
Appeal subject and originating district case — official court calendar:https://35hjpeoxfc5vhiw5jka3m7vnye0sdzwj.lambda-url.us-west-2.on.aws/?casenum=25-4818
Background and prior judgment — district order, June 30, 2025, pages 1–6, 26–36 and 38:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-azd-2_20-cv-00920/pdf/USCOURTS-azd-2_20-cv-00920-1.pdf
Prior denial of relief from judgment — district order, October 2, 2025, pages 1–2, 8–9 and 14–20:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-azd-2_20-cv-00920/pdf/USCOURTS-azd-2_20-cv-00920-2.pdf
Substantial truth — Read v. Phoenix Newspapers, Arizona Supreme Court, October 31, 1991; public copy of the actual court opinion:https://law.justia.com/cases/arizona/supreme-court/1991/cv-90-0499-pr-2.html

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