Five Questions with Steve Vladeck

From the Texas Border

Steve Vladeck has the cutest pup. He is also an expert on the Supreme Court. A law professor, he’s also a talented and effective appellate advocate, who has argued before the Court. Steve popularized the phrase “shadow docket,” which longtime Civil Discourse readers are familiar with. He has written extensively about the Court, including a book called The Shadow Docket, and his Substack, which focuses on the Court and the litigation in front of it. He calls it his weekly effort to make the Supreme Court more accessible to more of us—not just its decisions, but its history, its traditions, its powers, and its personalities. Both are very worthwhile reads!

Steve has graciously agreed to be our guest for “Five Questions” tonight. Despite everything else that’s going on, we can’t lose sight of Texas, where Governor Abbott is taking on the authority of the federal government, in some deeply troubling ways. We’ve discussed that situation here, most recently.

Steve is not an alarmist. He’s a constitutional lawyer, and he explains the issues that are at play with precision and without political spin. There is no one else I would rather have us help get all of our facts straight, so we can address the issues in the coming weeks and months.

“Five Questions” is the only column on Civil Discourse that is limited to paid subscribers. The rest of the newsletter is available to free subscribers as well. I value having everyone here. This feature is my way of thanking those who are able to support my work financially, which lets me devote more time and resources to it.