U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced Friday that the panel will hold a hearing to investigate if the Supreme Court is abusing its authority when it hands down a decision without full court procedures, a process dubbed “shadow-docket.”
“This anti-choice law is a devastating blow to Americans’ constitutional rights—and the court allowed it to see the light of day without public deliberation or transparency,” said Durbin in a press statement after the ruling. “At a time when public confidence in government institutions has greatly eroded, we must examine not just the constitutional impact of allowing the Texas law to take effect, but also the conservative Court’s abuse of the shadow docket.”