Skip to content

Interim Docket

The Supreme Court’s interim relief docket, also known as the emergency docket or shadow docket, consists of applications seeking immediate action from the court. These cases are handled on an expedited basis with limited briefing and typically (though not always) no oral argument, and the court often resolves them in unsigned orders with little or no explanation (though there may be concurrences or dissents). This page shows significant applications filed during the October 2022 term.

Federal Government Prevailed
Federal Government Unsuccessful

Decided applications (18)

Docket Case Page Issue(s) Decision
23a241 Whether the Supreme Court should stay the district court's application of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to enjoin Alabama's 2023 districting plan. Application for stay denied on Sept. 26, 2023.
23a231 Whether the Supreme Court should stay the district court's application of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to enjoin Alabama's 2023 districting plan. Application for stay denied on Sept. 26, 2023.
23a116 Whether the Supreme Court should vacate the order of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit that granted a stay pending appeal of the district court's interim remedial redistricting plan. Application to vacate stay denied on Aug. 17, 2023.
23a87 Whether the Supreme Court should stay the mandate of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit authorizing Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy plan. Application for stay granted on Aug. 10, 2023.
23a82 Whether the Supreme Court should stay the judgment of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas baring the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives from enforcing a 2022 rule regulating "ghost guns" as firearms. Application for stay granted on Aug. 8, 2023. Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh would deny the application.
23a73 Whether the Supreme Court should stay the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit's mandate that would prevent the City of Tulsa from enforcing violations of municipal ordinances against Indian inhabitants. Application for stay denied on Aug. 4, 2023. Justice Kavanaugh wrote a statement respecting the denial, joined by Justice Alito.
23a35 Whether the Supreme Court should vacate the orders of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit blocking the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline project. Application to vacate stay granted on July 27, 2023.
23a60 Whether the Supreme Court should stay the order of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit enforcing an Internal Revenue Service summons on the Delaware Department of Insurance for information related to a tax shelter promoter examination. Application for stay withdrawn on July 26, 2023.
22a948 Can the government ban the sale, purchase, and possession of certain semi-automatic firearms and firearm magazines when there is no analogous historical ban as required by D.C. v. Heller and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen? Application for injunction denied on May 17, 2023.
22a901 Whether the Supreme Court should stay the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas's order blocking the Food and Drug Administration's approval of mifepristone. Application for stay granted on April 21, 2023. Justice Thomas would deny the application. Justice Alito wrote a dissenting opinion.
22a902 Whether the Supreme Court should stay the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas's order blocking the Food and Drug Administration's approval of mifepristone. Application for stay granted on April 4, 2023. Justice Thomas would deny the application. Justice Alito wrote a dissenting opinion.
22a800 Whether the Supreme Court should vacate the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit's injunction of a West Virginia law that bans individuals whose sex was determined at birth as male from participating in girls' sports in school. Application to vacate injunction denied on April 4, 2023. Justice Alito wrote a dissenting opinion, joined by Justice Thomas.
22a557 Whether the Supreme Court should vacate the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit's stay of a preliminary injunction designed to limit New York's enforcement of a gun control statute. Application to vacate stay of preliminary injunction denied on Jan. 11, 2023. Justice Alito wrote a statement respecting the denial, joined by Justice Thomas.
22a474 Whether the Tobacco Control Act expressly preempts state and local laws that prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products. Application for injunction denied on Dec. 12, 2022.
22a362 Whether the Supreme Court should stay a decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that held that the House Ways and Means Committee may obtain former President Donald Trump's tax returns. Application for stay denied on Nov. 22, 2022.
22a350 Whether the court should block a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee seeking the phone records of Kelli Ward, chair of the Arizona Republican Party. Application for stay and injunction denied on Nov. 14, 2022. Justices Thomas and Alito would grant the application.
22a337 Whether the Supreme Court should block a district court's ruling that ordered Sen. Lindsey Graham to testify before a Georgia grand jury investigating possible election interference. Application for stay and injunction pending appeal denied on Nov. 1, 2022.
22a283 Whether the Supreme Court should vacate the portion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit's stay of a Special Master order that limits the scope of review of documents seized from President Donald Trump's home to those bearing classification markings. Application to vacate stay denied on Oct. 13, 2022.