⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

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Sean Nealy v. Hung Cao — D.C. Cir. (argued September 8, 2026)

No. 25-5175 Argued September 8, 2026 Published September 9, 2026

The D.C. Circuit hears Sean Nealy versus Hung Cao. Nealy is a Navy veteran seeking disability retirement for post-traumatic stress disorder. He says the Physical Disability Board of Review could place him temporarily at fifty percent, but lacked authority to assign a ten-percent rating six months later and remove him from temporary retirement. The government says the board could make both decisions from the historical record. The judges will consider the board's statutory authority and whether it adequately supported the ten-percent rating. Arbitrary-and-capricious review asks whether an agency considered the relevant evidence and gave a rational explanation; the court does not choose the rating itself.

Sean Nealy v. Hung Cao (No. 25-5175) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, argued September 8, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/recordings/docs/2026/09/25-5175.mp3
Argument listing — U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit:https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/recordings/bydate/2026/9
Appellate docket — Justia:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/cadc/25-5175
Sean Nealy party filing — U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia:https://www.militarydefense.com/wp-content/uploads/Nealy-MSJ.pdf
Dylan Thayer firm affiliation — U.S. Supreme Court filing:https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-204/323061/20240821135943876_Clark%20Petition%20and%20Appendix%20Combined.pdf
Mason Bracken government-attorney record — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/foia-crew-25-10005-final-response-letter.pdf
Hung Cao official biography — U.S. Navy:https://www.navy.mil/DesktopModules/ArticleCS/Print.aspx?Article=4156165&ModuleId=692&PortalId=1
10 U.S.C. § 1554a — U.S. House of Representatives:https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=2023&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-2023-title10-section1554a
38 C.F.R. § 4.129 — GovInfo:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2025-title38-vol1/pdf/CFR-2025-title38-vol1-part4.pdf
5 U.S.C. § 706 — U.S. House of Representatives:https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title5-section706
Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association v. State Farm — U.S. Reports via GovInfo:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USREPORTS-463/pdf/USREPORTS-463-29.pdf

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