Stay Tuned with Preet The Shadow Docket, #MeToo, and the Power of Reporting (with Jodi Kantor)
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May 7, 2026 
Jodi Kantor, Pulitzer Prize-winning NYT investigative reporter known for her #MeToo and Supreme Court reporting. She unpacks the rise and secrecy of the Court's shadow docket and how internal memos reshaped power. She revisits breaking the Weinstein story and discusses workplace change, NDAs, and why journalism must connect with audiences.
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Investigative Reporting Can Reveal Supreme Court Secrets
- Investigative journalism can pry open the Supreme Court's black box and answer basic questions about its functioning.
- Jodi Kantor formed a five-person New York Times team after a tip revealed a secret influence campaign and found documents revealing behind-the-scenes court dynamics.
What The Shadow Docket Actually Is
- The shadow docket is a fast, opaque route the Court uses for urgent decisions that often include no reasoning.
- Kantor and Adam Liptak published 16 pages of private deliberations exposing how the Court handled a pivotal 2016 Clean Power Plan emergency application.
The Clean Power Plan Was A Turning Point
- The 2016 Clean Power Plan emergency order marks a pivot toward routine use of the shadow docket.
- The order was 142 words with no public reasoning, yet private memos later showed intense internal debate over halting the regulation.
