FCC v. AT&T — Agency Fine or Court Case? Seventh Amendment | FULL SCOTUS Oral Argument (2026)

Full oral argument in FCC v. AT&T, No. 25-406, argued before the Supreme Court of the United States on April 21, 2026. Complete and unedited, with the official transcript as captions. The question: The Communications Act lets the FCC assess monetary forfeitures administratively. A regulated party may decline payment and receive a de novo jury trial in a collection suit, or pay and seek appellate review without a jury. Are the Act's procedures for assessing and enforcing FCC monetary forfeitures consistent with the Seventh Amendment's jury-trial guarantee and Article III? Arguing: • Jeffrey B. Wall, Counsel — for the AT&T, Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc • Vivek Suri, Assistant to the Solicitor General — for the FCC, et al Decided June 4, 2026 · 8–1. No. 25-406, 149 F. 4th 491, reversed and remanded; consolidated No. 25-567, 156 F. 4th 86, affirmed. Roberts, C. J., joined by Alito, Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett and Jackson, JJ. Dissenting: Thomas, J. 608 U. S. 531 (2026) — the Court's preliminary print; the page is subject to revision before the bound volume. CHAPTERS 0:00 Case called — Chief Justice Roberts · P. 4 0:12 Opening — Jeffrey B. Wall, for Respondent · P. 4 6:59 Kavanaugh: notice versus order · P. 11 9:21 Kavanaugh: a difficult choice? · P. 13 18:05 Kagan: Article III and the jury · P. 24 24:41 Barrett: review without paying · P. 31 29:48 Alito: where on the spectrum? · P. 37 38:25 Gorsuch: must both issues be reached? · P. 45 44:06 Kavanaugh: licensing consequences · P. 52 53:43 Opening — Vivek Suri, for Fcc, Et Al. · P. 64 55:23 Thomas: when is a jury needed? · P. 66 59:28 Gorsuch: is the order final? · P. 70 1:06:10 Barrett: collateral consequences · P. 78 1:13:47 Jackson: unconstitutional conditions · P. 86 1:20:44 Rebuttal — Jeffrey B. Wall · P. 94 1:24:29 The case is submitted · P. 98 SOURCES • Transcript: supremecourt.gov, No. 25-406 (Official — Subject to Final Review) • Audio: supremecourt.gov, the Court's own recording of the argument • Opinion: 608 U. S. 531 (2026) — supremecourt.gov, the Court's preliminary print — https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions... Nothing here is edited, summarised or reconstructed. The Court bans cameras, so no video of this argument exists; this is the complete audio record as released. Every caption is the official transcript verbatim, with the transcript page shown on screen so any quote can be checked against the record. The Court revises what it publishes — argument transcripts carry “Official — Subject to Final Review” and slip opinions are reissued — and a decision arrives long after the argument. This description is updated as the record changes: the decision is added when it is handed down, and the citation gains its page number when the volume assigns one. The spoken text is never edited. #SCOTUS #SupremeCourt #SeventhAmendment #SCOTUSNotice