Dockets, Briefs & Oral Argument: Oral Arguments

Free Online Resources

• U.S. Supreme Court site Oral Argument Transcripts (1968-present; browse by argument decade/Term/session/date)
• U.S. Supreme Court site Argument Audio (2010-present; browse by argument Term/session/date)
• National Archives & Records Administration is the official repository for the Court’s audio recordings, divided into 3 series. In the catalog record for each series listed below, click to "Search within this Series" (item-level record for each recording includes case names, case numbers, and argument date):
  • Sound Recordings of Oral Arguments – Black Series, October 1955 – December 1972
  • Sound Recordings of Oral Arguments – Red Series, December 1972 – June 27, 2005
  • Sound Recordings of Oral Arguments – Gold Series, October 3, 2005 – June 30, 2023
• The Oyez Project hosts many recordings of arguments from as early as 1955: in Cases, look up case by Term, and click on the case name; if audio is available, a link for each date of argument will be listed on the case page.

Commercial Resources

• Lexis United States Supreme Court Transcripts (1979-present; individual Lexis login required): official transcripts, full text searchable
• Westlaw U.S. Supreme Court Oral Arguments (1990-present; individual Westlaw login required): official transcripts, full text searchable
• ProQuest Supreme Court Insight (1955-present, available via CalNet authentication or onsite at campus libraries): official transcript as PDFs, full text searchable; use Advanced Search and under "Content Types" select "Oral Argument" before searching

Free Online Resources

Court Listener Advanced Oral Argument Search (all circuits, date coverage varies; search by case information)

First Circuit Audio Recordings of Recent Oral Arguments (2014-present; search by docket number or title)

Second Circuit Oral Argument Audio Recordings (2016-present; search by docket number, caption, or party name)

Third Circuit Oral Argument Recordings (docket numbers back to 2000, argument dates 2007-present; click on "All Oral Argument Files" to browse by docket number)

Fourth Circuit Listen to Oral Arguments (argument dates from May 2011-present; sort and browse by argument date or case number)

Fifth Circuit Oral Argument Recordings (May 2008-present; search by argument date/range, docket number, title, or attorney)

Sixth Circuit Oral Argument Audio Recordings, (2013-present; search by argument date/range, case number, or party)

Seventh Circuit Oral Argument Recordings (2002-present; search by case number or month/year of argument; some video also available)

Eighth Circuit General Search (coverage dates not given; search by Party/Attorney Name or Case Number—if available, recording will appear in  result)

Ninth Circuit Archived Audio and Video (2004-present; search by case name, case number, panel judges, hearing date or location, or browse list)

Tenth Circuit Argument Recordings (January 2018-present; search by case number, case title, location, attorneys, judges, or parties)

Eleventh Circuit Oral Argument Recordings (April 2017-present; search by case number, case name, argument date)

DC Circuit Oral Argument Recordings (2007-present; search by case number or party name keywords, or browse by argument date)

Federal Circuit Listen to Oral Arguments (February 2003-present; search by argument date/range, or sort/browse by Appeal Number or Title)

Commercial Resources

• Westlaw Trial Transcripts & Oral Arguments - includes selected transcripts of oral arguments from the 7th (2001-present), 8th (2000-present), and 9th (2001-present) Circuits.
• Bloomberg Law Dockets Search - occasionally transcripts of oral argument are available via Bloomberg Law's PACER-fed Dockets service (see Bloomberg Law Dockets & Filings for search tips). You can add the terms transcript n/10 "oral argument" as part of a "Dockets Only" (instead of Documents & Dockets) search, along with your other search criteria.

Free Online Resources

• California Supreme Court Webcast Library (2010-present)—browse by year, sort by argument date or case name (note naming irregularities for some cases)
• other states—find the official site for the state's court system and look for calendar, schedule, oral argument, livestreaming, hearings, etc. to see if there is an archive of past oral arguments; on a general search engine you can include a domain restriction such as site:ny.gov

Commercial Resources

• Westlaw Trial Transcripts & Oral Arguments—includes selected transcripts of oral arguments from a few states. Choose state link and click the "i" information icon for dates and courts covered: California ... Delaware ... Florida ... Massachusetts ... New York ... Texas
• Bloomberg Law Dockets Search - occasionally transcripts of oral argument are available via Bloomberg Law's dockets service (see Bloomberg Law Dockets & Filings for search tips). You can add the terms transcript n/10 "oral argument" as part of a "Dockets Only" (instead of Documents & Dockets) search, along with your other search criteria. However, many results may not be covered by Berkeley Law's academic subscription, so searching the docket sheets may only help you identify dates of oral argument for which transcripts were created.

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