Beginning with October Term 2010, the audio recordings of all oral arguments heard by the Supreme Court of the United States will be available free to the public on the Court’s Web site, www.supremecourt.gov, at the end of each argument week. The audio recordings will be posted on Fridays after Conference.
The public may either download the audio files or listen to the recordings on the Court’s Web site. The MP3 files of the audio recordings may be accessed by clicking on the “Oral Arguments” prompt on the home page, and selecting “Argument Audio.” The audio recordings will be listed by case name, docket number, and the date of oral argument. The recordings will also be accessible by clicking on “What’s New” on the site’s home page.
The Court began audio recording oral arguments in 1955. The recordings are maintained at The National Archives and Records Administration. Prior to the 2010 Term, the recordings from one Term of Court were not available until the beginning of the next Term. The Archives will continue to serve as the official repository for the Court’s audio recordings.
Editor’s Note: For instance, on October 13 (one of the argument days selected), the following case, Skinner v. Switzer, should be able to be heard in recordings on Friday at the end of that week:
QUESTIONS PRESENTED: For ten years, Henry W. Skinner has sought access to DNA testing that could prove him innocent of the murders that landed him on Death Row. After the Texas courts arbitrarily turned back his diligent attempts to take advantage of state statutes affording such relief, he sued in federal court under 42 U.S.C. § 1983* to vindicate his due process right to “‘fundamental fairness in [the] operation’” of Texas’s scheme. Dist. Att’y’s Office v. Osborne, 129 S. Ct. 2308, 2320 (2009) (citation omitted). The district court dismissed Mr. Skinner’s § 1983 suit solely on the ground that his claim sounded only in habeas corpus, and the Fifth Circuit summarily affirmed. The question presented is the same one the Court granted certiorari* in Osborne to decide, but left unresolved:
May a convicted prisoner seeking access to biological evidence for DNA testing assert that claim in a civil rights action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, or is such a claim cognizable only in a petition for writ of habeas corpus?
*http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/42/1983.html (asterisk seniorwomen.com)
*http://www.techlawjournal.com/glossary/legal/certiorari.htm (asterisk seniorwomen.com)
The Visitor’s Guide to Oral Arguments may be helpful:
A case selected for argument usually involves interpretations of the US Constitution or federal law. At least four Justices have selected the case as being of such importance that the Supreme Court must resolve the legal issues.
An attorney for each side of a case will have an opportunity to make a presentation to the Court and answer questions posed by the Justices. Prior to the argument each side has submitted a legal brief — a written legal argument outlining each party’s points of law. The Justices have read these briefs prior to argument and are thoroughly familiar with the case, its facts, and the legal positions that each party is advocating.
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