⚖ 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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People v. Fernandez (Andre) — N.Y. Ct. App. (May 21, 2026)

No. 61 Argued May 21, 2026 Published July 29, 2026; updated August 23, 2026

The New York Court of Appeals considers People versus Fernandez. Andre Fernandez says his lawyer was ineffective for not investigating his mental-health and substance-use history before challenging his statements admitting involvement in two murders. He says the records could have supported suppression and shown that his claimed immunity deal was a delusion. The People say counsel reasonably chose the immunity-and-payment theory instead. On June 23, 2026, the court affirmed the conviction, six to one. The majority found that strategy reasonable; Judge Rivera dissented, saying counsel could not choose intelligently without investigating first.

People v. Fernandez (Andre) (No. 61) — New York Court of Appeals, argued May 21, 2026.

Sources
Argument recording — New York Court of Appeals official YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PL_mQWTEH0
Argument archive — New York Court of Appeals:https://www.nycourts.gov/ctapps/arguments/2026/May26/Video/61.html
Argument calendar — New York Court of Appeals:https://www.nycourts.gov/CTAPPs/calendar/2026/Daily/CAL052126.pdf
Case summary — New York Court of Appeals:https://www.nycourts.gov/CTAPPs/summaries/Daily/2026/May21.pdf
Decision — New York Court of Appeals:https://www.nycourts.gov/ctapps/Decisions/2026/Jun26/61opn26-Decision.pdf
Lower-court decision — New York State Law Reporting Bureau:https://www.nycourts.gov/REPORTER/3dseries/2025/2025_01585.htm
People v. Oliveras — New York State Law Reporting Bureau:https://www.nycourts.gov/Reporter/3dseries/2013/2013_04040.htm
CPL 440.10 — New York State Senate Open Legislation:https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CPL/440.10
People v. Huntley — New York State Law Reporting Bureau:https://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/archives/p_huntley.htm
Rosemary Herbert profile — Office of the Appellate Defender:https://www.oadnyc.org/oad30

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