⚖ 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.

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Butlak v. DHS — Fed. Cir. (Oct 6, 2026)

No. 25-1501 Argued October 6, 2026 Published October 7, 2026

The Federal Circuit hears a federal border officer's challenge to his dismissal for dishonesty. Butlak asked a co-worker to give his supervisor false information about why he was late to work. The Department of Homeland Security removed him from his Customs and Border Protection officer position on charges of lack of candor and conduct unbecoming an officer. When he appealed, the Merit Systems Protection Board upheld the removal. His lawyer will argue that the administrative judge overstated the misconduct and mishandled the penalty analysis. This is a job-discipline appeal, not a criminal trial. Listen for the distinction between whether the misconduct occurred and whether dismissal was a reasonable punishment.

Butlak v. DHS (No. 25-1501) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, argued October 6, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — Federal Circuit:https://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/oral-arguments/25-1501_10062026.mp3
Case and argument date — official Federal Circuit index:https://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/home/oral-argument/listen-to-oral-arguments/
Underlying conduct, removal and Board review — MSPB final order:https://www.mspb.gov/decisions/nonprecedential/Butlak_GeoffreyAT-0752-23-0120-I-1_Final_Order.pdf
Witness-credibility disclosure — Giglio v. United States, official opinion:https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep405/usrep405150/usrep405150.pdf
Independent witness-disclosure guidance — DOJ Justice Manual:https://www.justice.gov/jm/jm-9-5000-issues-related-trials-and-other-court-proceedings
Douglas factors discussed in the appeal — MSPB penalty-review explanation:https://www.mspb.gov/studies/adverse_action_report/10_DeterminingthePenalty.htm

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