⚖ 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 Status

Polich v. Collins — Fed. Cir. (Oct 6, 2026)

No. 25-1299 Argued October 6, 2026 Published October 7, 2026

The Federal Circuit hears Anthony Polich's appeal over veterans' disability benefits. Polich was injured during military service and has both post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and a traumatic brain injury. He experiences memory problems and wants a separate brain-injury disability rating. VA assigned a single fifty-percent rating covering both conditions. The Board of Veterans' Appeals rejected an additional rating, and the Veterans Court affirmed. VA's rules prohibit paying twice for the same symptoms, but allow separate ratings when the effects of two conditions can be clearly distinguished. The judges must also decide whether this appeal raises a legal question they can review, or instead asks them to revisit factual findings outside their authority.

Polich v. Collins (No. 25-1299) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, argued October 6, 2026.

Sources
Court-original argument audio — Federal Circuit:https://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/oral-arguments/25-1299_10062026.mp3
Case and argument date — official Federal Circuit recording index:https://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/home/oral-argument/listen-to-oral-arguments/
Case background and prior ruling — Veterans Court 23-3069, August 30, 2024:http://search.uscourts.cavc.gov/isysquery/b4d715bf-48c9-4425-a25b-5c6e69490342/1/doc/PolichAA_23-3069.pdf
Brain-injury ratings — 38 CFR 4.124a, Diagnostic Code 8045:https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.124a
Federal Circuit review authority — 38 USC 7292:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title38/html/USCODE-2024-title38-partV-chap72-subchapIV-sec7292.htm
Counsel appearances — Federal Circuit docket 25-1299 (public mirror):https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/cafc/25-1299

0:00
0:00