Cloak and Docket

Cloak and Docket

Author: The Claremont Institute April 22, 2026 Duration: 46:36

In a dramatic leak, The New York Times has published seven private memos from a 2016 exchange between Supreme Court Justices leading up to the now-famous interim order that blocked President Obama's "Clean Power Plan." The Times’s lopsided framing accuses Chief Justice Roberts of being flippant and taking unprecedented action. But the so-called "shadow docket" has been used more broadly to shut down both rampant Biden-era lawfare and Trumpian overreach. This week, the guys detail how the courts of both law and public opinion have been changing in the era of the imperial presidency.

Recommended:

The Inside Story of Five Days That Remade the Supreme Court

Leaked Supreme Court Memos Reveal Why Court Stayed Clean Power Plan

The Pity Party

Watch with video on Youtube



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Behind the daily headlines and political noise, there's a deeper current of ideas shaping the nation. The American Mind Podcast, from The Claremont Institute, digs into that foundational layer. It moves beyond surface-level debate to examine the philosophical assumptions and historical principles that actually drive American life. In each episode, hosts sit down with Claremont scholars and a range of thoughtful critics to untangle the real causes of our cultural moment. These conversations aren't about quick takes or partisan scoring; they're sustained explorations of how concepts from history, philosophy, and political theory manifest in our society, news cycles, and personal lives. Tuning in, you'll hear rigorous but accessible discussions that connect timeless thought to contemporary upheaval. This podcast provides a space for listeners to step back from the frenzy and consider the underlying forces-the enduring ideals and the new challenges-that are continually remaking the American experiment. It’s for anyone who suspects there’s more to the story and wants to engage with the substantive ideas, not just the symptoms, of our political and cultural reality.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The American Mind Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Big Bill, Big Win (ft. Eric Teetsel) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:49
The hosts are joined this week by Claremont's Vice President of Communications and Beck & Stone co-founder Andrew Beck to recount Vice President JD Vance’s speech at Claremont’s 2025 Statesmanship Award dinner, shining a…
New York, New Left (ft. Inez Stepman) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:23
New York assemblyman (and amateur rapper) Zohran Mamdani has hit upon a distilled blend of socialism, anticolonialism, and woke omnicausery to secure a Democratic primary win in New York City’s mayoral race. Does his vic…
Bunker Busted [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:47
The Supreme Court has upheld Tennessee's right—and by extension, the right of other states—to regulate or ban trans medical procedures for children. Meanwhile, Trump’s precision strike against Iranian nuclear enrichment…
No Kings, No Congress [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:21
In a two-man Roundtable throwback, hosts Spencer Klavan and Mike Sabo offer some initial reaction to Israel’s precision strikes against Iran and the subsequent fallout. Memories of past military failures and fear of Mide…
Battle: Los Angeles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:17
This week, special guest Peachy Keenan rounds out the cast with a report from LA, where riots are breaking out (again). Governor Gavin Newsom failed to gain control on the ground, so Trump inserted himself and the Nation…
White-Collar Bots [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:56
Artificial Intelligence threatens to storm the office as tech companies compete to replace entry-level workers with “agent” underlings. Will this be the next major technological displacement in the workforce? And to what…
Putting DOGE Down [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:11
Michael Anton—newly dubbed “MAGA’s Machiavelli”—gets a profile in The Free Press and some well-deserved recognition. Well-read, well-spoken, and well-dressed, Anton has done more than many realize to shape U.S. policies…
Covering Up the Cover-Ups [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:24
The sad announcement of Joe Biden's advanced cancer diagnosis has thrown fuel onto recriminations and speculations about his condition during his presidency, especially with the publication of a new book on the subject b…
Congress Take the Wheel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:32
As Europe withers and China rises, Trump makes a trip to the Middle East and charts out a new course. In a speech that raised some interventionist hackles, he delivered a sharp critique of nation building and signaled hi…
Crowd Funding and Mob Rule [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:07
To cap off the first 100 days of his administration, Trump sparred at length with Kristen Welker of NBC’s Meet the Press over his record so far—from immigration successes to choppy economic waters. Alarmed by Trump’s use…