⚖ 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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Drake v. Collins — Fed. Cir. (Oct 8, 2026)

No. 25-1524 Argued October 8, 2026 Published October 9, 2026

The Federal Circuit hears Richard Drake's challenge to the denial of veterans' disability benefits. He attributes his bladder problems to catheterization during military service in nineteen sixty-six. The Board of Veterans' Appeals denied his claim, and the Veterans Court upheld that decision. Drake disputes how the VA developed medical evidence in his case. Section fifty-one oh-three A requires reasonable efforts to help claimants substantiate their claims, including a medical examination or opinion when needed to decide a disability-compensation claim. The Federal Circuit generally reviews legal questions in these appeals, not case-specific factual judgments. You will hear forfeiture: an argument may be lost if it was not raised in time. Adam Steinmetz will represent Drake.

Drake v. Collins (No. 25-1524) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, argued October 8, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — Federal Circuit court original:https://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/oral-arguments/25-1524_10082026.mp3
Argument date and recording — Federal Circuit official table:https://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/home/oral-argument/listen-to-oral-arguments/
Case background and prior ruling — Veterans Court memorandum decision, December 6, 2024:https://efiling.uscourts.cavc.gov/docs1/012010997103
Prior proceedings and appellate case link — Veterans Court official docket, No. 23-770:https://efiling.uscourts.cavc.gov/cmecf/servlet/TransportRoom?servlet=CaseSummary.jsp&caseNum=23-770&incOrigDkt=Y&incDktEntries=Y
Appeal and counsel — public copy of Federal Circuit clerk entries:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/cafc/25-1524
Duty to assist — 38 U.S.C. § 5103A:https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/38/5103A
Scope of appellate review — 38 U.S.C. § 7292:https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/38/7292
Procedural forfeiture — Supreme Court Olano majority, court-opinion copy:https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/507/725/
Adam Steinmetz — current law-firm profile:https://www.desmaraisllp.com/adam-steinmetz

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