This looks normal, but it’s designed to look normal.
If Lindsay Graham is likely to prevail on the merits, having him testify before he actually gets his case even looked at heard tends to make his claims moot. But
a.) his case is absurd
b.) I’m not sure that the deposition schedule would ordinarily come before the denial of cert.
as the CRS report on the shadow docket claims
Emergency litigation before the Supreme Court often concerns requests for preliminary injunctive relief. In theory, such relief is designed to preserve the status quo while a case is pending and remains in effect only until the courts can fully consider the merits of the case. However, emergency matters are often subject to rigid real-world deadlines, and sometimes the federal courts are not able to consider the merits in full before those deadlines pass. In those cases, a decision to grant or deny a preliminary injunction (or a stay of a preliminary injunction issued by a lower court) may effectively resolve the case.
