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Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito speaks at the University of Notre Dame Sept. 30, about "The Emergency Docket," which allows the court to issue expedited rulings outside its typical process of hearing arguments and issuing lengthy opinions. It's often referred to as the "shadow docket," a term Alito called misleading, saying it "has been used to portray the court as having been captured by a dangerous cabal that resorts to sneaky and improper methods to get its ways." (CNS/Courtesy of University of Notre Dame/Matt Cashore)