Roberts Joins Criticism of High Court ‘Shadow Docket’ Orders (1)

Chief Justice John Roberts for the first time joined the U.S. Supreme Court’s liberal wing in blasting the conservative majority’s handling of the stream of emergency requests that critics have dubbed the “shadow docket.”

Roberts joined the three liberal justices in dissent Wednesday as the court temporarily reinstated a Clean Water Act rule issued by former President Donald Trump’s administration. A federal trial judge had tossed out the rule, which scaled back federal protections for streams, wetlands and other bodies of water.

John Roberts

Photographer: Erin Schaff/The New York Times/Bloomberg

Writing for the dissenters, including Roberts, Justice Elena Kagan said the states and industry groups backing ...