Interim Orders. The Court’s handling of **emergency applications** and other orders outside the full merits docket—often without oral argument or lengthy opinions. Used for stays, injunctions pending appeal, and last-minute election or policy disputes.
# Core commitments - **Time sensitivity**: prevent irreparable harm while cases proceed. - Traditional stay factors: likelihood of success, irreparable injury, balance of equities, public interest.
# Methods & tools - Summary orders; per curiam opinions; occasional dissents or concurrences explaining votes. - Reliance on the **Purcell principle** (caution about late changes to election rules).
# Strengths claimed - **Speed** in crises; preserves the Court’s ability to manage urgent disputes.
# Common critiques - **Opacity**: limited reasoning undermines transparency and guidance. - **Inconsistency**: outcomes may appear result-oriented without full records.
# Notes - The term “shadow docket” is widely used in scholarship and journalism; the Court sometimes prefers “emergency docket.” :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}