Elie Mystal

Justice Correspondent & Columnist

@ElieNYC

Elie Mystal is The Nation’s justice correspondent and the host of its legal podcast, Contempt of Court. He is also an Alfred Knobler Fellow at the Type Media Center. His first book is the New York Times bestseller Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution, published by The New Press. Elie can be followed @ElieNYC.

Judge using gavel in court (focus on foreground, blurred motion) - stock photo

The Federal Judiciary Has a Gerontocracy Problem The Federal Judiciary Has a Gerontocracy Problem

From district courts all the way up to the Supreme Court, judges are refusing to retire, holding on to power well past their prime.

Aug 28, 2024 / Elie Mystal

Protesters gather outside the Supreme Court Building on July 1, 2024, the day the court issued its decision in Donald Trump's immunity case.

This Bill Aims to Strip Trump’s Immunity—and the Supreme Court’s Power This Bill Aims to Strip Trump’s Immunity—and the Supreme Court’s Power

In a sign that Democrats are finally getting serious about reining in the Supreme Court, Senator Check Schumer has proposed the No Kings Act.

Aug 6, 2024 / Elie Mystal

Ketanji Brown Jackson

Ketanji Brown Jackson Is Redefining What It Means to Be a Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Is Redefining What It Means to Be a Liberal Justice

During her short time on the Supreme Court, Jackson has articulated a skepticism toward judicial power that feels particularly urgent in a post-Roe world.

Aug 5, 2024 / Feature / Elie Mystal

Donald Trump speaks with Rachel Scott, senior congressional correspondent for ABC News, during a question-and-answer session at the National Association of Black Journalists convention on July 31, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois.

The National Association of Black Journalists Made the Whitest Decision Possible The National Association of Black Journalists Made the Whitest Decision Possible

In providing a platform to Donald Trump, the NABJ opted for a totally predictable outcome—35 minutes of insults and racism.

Aug 1, 2024 / Elie Mystal

Whom Should Kamala Harris Choose as Her Running Mate?

Whom Should Kamala Harris Choose as Her Running Mate? Whom Should Kamala Harris Choose as Her Running Mate?

Nation writers make their cases for who the next Democratic vice presidential candidate should be.

Jul 31, 2024 / Jeet Heer, Alexis Grenell, Sasha Abramsky, Erica Etelson, Anthony Flaccavento, Elie Mystal, Joan Walsh, John Nichols, and Katha Pollitt

President Joe Biden speaks to attendees while commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library on July 29, 2024, in Austin, Texas.

How Biden’s Court Reform Proposals Could Work—if the Court Would Let Them How Biden’s Court Reform Proposals Could Work—if the Court Would Let Them

The president’s trio of reforms marks a worthy first step, but it doesn’t go nearly far enough to reverse the right-wing takeover of the Supreme Court.

Jul 30, 2024 / Elie Mystal

Vice President Kamala Harris stands in the Rose Garden of the White House on May 20, 2024.

Beware the People Who Claim “America Isn’t Ready for a Black Woman President” Beware the People Who Claim “America Isn’t Ready for a Black Woman President”

Even as Kamala Harris consolidates the entire Democratic Party behind her campaign, there will be people telling her she can’t win because she’s a woman of color. 

Jul 23, 2024 / Elie Mystal

Special counsel Jack Smith in Washington, DC, on August 1, 2023, and former US President Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Florida, on November 8, 2022.

The Dismissal of the Trump Documents’ Case Is Yet More Proof: The Institutionalists Have Failed The Dismissal of the Trump Documents’ Case Is Yet More Proof: The Institutionalists Have Failed

Judge Aileen Cannon’s decision to toss the case should dispel any remaining hope that the courts will save us from Donald Trump.

Jul 15, 2024 / Elie Mystal

It’s Impossible to Overstate the Damage Done by the Supreme Court in This Term It’s Impossible to Overstate the Damage Done by the Supreme Court in This Term

The effects of the high court’s rulings will be enduring and almost impossible to overturn without a serious reckoning by Democratic lawmakers.

Jul 8, 2024 / Elie Mystal

United States Supreme Court justices

The President Can Now Assassinate You, Officially The President Can Now Assassinate You, Officially

Under this new standard, a president can go on a four-to-eight-year crime spree and then retire from public life, never to be held accountable.

Jul 1, 2024 / Elie Mystal

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