The Supreme Court of the United States and U.S. Courts of Appeals provide online resources including background and docket information and high-quality livestreams or recordings of oral arguments. The following is a brief guide to accessing oral arguments from different courts across the country. For the most recent free political speech oral arguments, listen to the new Institute for Free Speech podcast, Free Speech Arguments, now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court livestreams audio of its oral arguments. SCOTUS also archives downloadable audio of each argument along with a transcript within a few hours. According to its website, arguments are generally scheduled Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings beginning on the first Monday in October and continuing through the end of April. The Court typically hears two arguments each day beginning at 10:00 a.m.
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
The First Circuit posts downloadable audio of its recent oral arguments on the day the argument is held. The court’s online archive only includes the most recent two weeks of arguments, to access older arguments, you must contact the Court’s Records Room at (617) 748-9378 to order a CD copy of the recording (fees may apply).
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The Second Circuit posts downloadable audio of its oral arguments dating back to 2016. The audio is available on the same day as the argument. The court also livestreams audio on its YouTube channel.
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
This court provides both livestreamed and downloadable audio for each oral argument. The archived audio includes cases dating back to 2008. Unlike some other courts, video recordings are also available for certain cases. The audio is available for download on the same day as the argument.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
The Fourth Circuit website has an audio archive for download for oral arguments from May 2011–present. CDs of oral argument recordings for argument sessions between September 2002 and April 2011 may be requested from the clerk’s office using the Oral Argument CD Request Form for a fee of $32. The Court also livestreams oral arguments through the “Listen” links in the Oral Argument Calendar for each day and panel. Audio files are posted on the following day.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
The Fifth Circuit website contains oral argument recordings released from May 21, 2008–present. The Court also has a YouTube channel with audio files of oral arguments from January 2021–present. The argument recordings are available the following day.
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
This court both livestreams and archives audio from its oral arguments. The Sixth Circuit’s oral argument calendar details the cases and where to listen.
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
The Seventh Circuit provides downloadable audio for all oral arguments and video for certain cases. Since 2020, the court has also begun livestreaming the arguments on its new YouTube channel. The archive of audio recordings can be found on its website here.
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
The Eighth Circuit has a searchable archive of oral argument audio recordings for cases from September 2009–present. To access the audio, users may search by lead case number or by the case number of any associated case argued with the lead case. Users may also search using the party name or the name of the attorney who argued the lead case or any associated case argued with the lead case. The Court also has a podcast of oral arguments; the episodes are posted within the same day as the argument.
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
This court provides both audio and video recordings of every oral argument. The recordings are posted on the same day as the argument. The court also livestreams the arguments on its YouTube channel.
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
The Tenth Circuit provides an audio livestream of oral arguments on its YouTube channel. The streams are only available on the day of the session, but the audio recordings are posted at the end of the day to the court’s website. Cases from January 15, 2018–present are available on the website and can be searched by case number, case title, location argued, attorneys, judges, and/or parties.
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
This court livestreams audio of the oral arguments on its website. Downloadable recordings of the audio are posted no later than the day after the argument. The Eleventh Circuit website provides arguments from April 2017–present. To obtain a CD recording of an oral argument, send a request to: Clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 56 Forsyth St., NW, Atlanta, GA 30303.
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
The DC Circuit Court livestreams audio of all oral argument on its YouTube channel, except when classified or sealed matters must be discussed. Recordings of oral arguments for individual cases appear on the court’s website by 2:00 p.m. on the day of the oral argument. The court provides an archive of audio recordings from 2007–present. The DC Circuit also provides information to obtain transcripts and CD copies of the arguments.
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
The Federal Circuit livestreams audio of its oral arguments on its YouTube channel. Recordings of all arguments are posted on the court’s website after the conclusion of arguments each day. Audio recordings from February 4, 2003–present are archived on the court’s website. A limited number of earlier recordings are available through records requests to the Clerk’s Office.
