shadow docket

[ shad-oh dok-it ]

noun

1. a list of the cases resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court by unsigned procedural orders issued without full briefing, oral arguments, or lengthy written opinions. Compare merits docket ( def ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of shadow docket¹

Coined by U.S. legal scholar and University of Chicago law professor William P. Baude (born 1950) in 2015

Example Sentences

The states and the Biden administration then filed emergency petitions to the Supreme Court, putting the injunctions on what is commonly called the "shadow docket".

From BBC

The court would typically ask for a more timely responses to an emergency applications on what critics call its "shadow docket."

From Salon

The court often asks for quicker responses to emergency applications on what critics call its shadow docket.

From New York Times

But the court also grew more cautious in the terse orders it issued in response to emergency application on what critics call the shadow docket.

From New York Times

Since the court took up the case on an expedited basis, on its so-called shadow docket, the justices could dissent without saying so publicly, making counting the votes an inexact science.

From New York Times