Supreme Court’s Shadow Docket Is Making Life Tougher For Justice Department Attorneys

The shadow docket is making everything worse for everyone.
The post Supreme Court’s Shadow Docket Is Making Life Tougher For Justice Department Attorneys appeared first on Above the Law.

Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.

Now, as I’m thinking about budgeting my time as solicitor general, I have to be on the lookout for things that are coming down the pipe that are likely to turn into emergencies. It’s a very intense process to brief and argue these cases on a short timeline.

— US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, in comments noted by Bloomberg Law that she gave on the Supreme Court’s shadow docket during a panel discussion hosted by the American Bar Association. Prelogar said the shadow docket represents one of the “biggest shifts” in the high court’s work, and that it’s “changed the function of the line attorneys at our office.” To that end, the Justice Department requested that two attorneys be added to its workforce in its 2024 budget, citing an increased workload due to the shadow docket.

Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.