Supreme Court Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Brett Kavanaugh engaged in a rare public debate Monday over the court's expanded use of emergency rulings, known as the "shadow docket," to advance Trump administration policies. Jackson criticized the conservative majority's willingness to intervene early in legal challenges, calling the uptick "a real unfortunate problem" that creates "a warped kind of proceeding." She warned the practice signals lower courts how the Supreme Court might ultimately rule and "is not serving the court or this country well," remarks that drew applause from a packed audience including lower court judges. Kavanaugh defended the court's actions, arguing justices must respond to government emergency applications and noting similar requests came from prior administrations. The public exchange marked a rare moment of justices debating internal court business openly, moving beyond written opinion disagreements.
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