Strict Scrutiny SCOTUS Squabbles Go Public
90 snips
Apr 20, 2026 
Steve Vladek, law professor and author who studies the Supreme Court's shadow docket, joins to trace its origins and key memos. They cover the 2016 Clean Power Plan stay, Roberts' role, internal Court dynamics, and how emergency orders became routine. Short, sharp takes on recent high-profile clashes and previews of looming big cases.
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Sotomayor Criticizes Kavanaugh Then Apologizes
- Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized Brett Kavanaugh's view on brief ICE detentions, calling him out as someone who "probably doesn't really know any person who works by the hour."
- Sotomayor later issued a public apology and said she had apologized to her colleague.
Thomas' Rhetoric Highlights Court's Public Polarization
- Justice Thomas framed progressivism as the chief threat and repeatedly invoked God as the source of rights in a combative public speech.
- His remarks contrasted with Sotomayor's apology and highlighted asymmetric standards for public critique among justices.
Jackson Refuses To Legitimize Interim Docket
- Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson publicly rejected normalizing an "interim docket" and criticized the shadow docket's effect on lower courts.
- She warned against treating the Court's off-the-record impressions as binding and stymying deliberative processes.
