Today on the show: how the so-called court of last resort has gained more and more power over American policy, and why the debates we don't see are often more important than the ones we do. Throughline The Supreme Court's Shadow Docket The Supreme Court's Shadow Docket Listen · 49:42 49:42 Enlarge this image Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Roe. Sponsor Message Guest featured in this episode: Steve Vladeck, author of "The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic" and professor of law at the University of Texas at Austin.