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.

Texas National Guard soldiers stand guard on the banks of the Rio Grande river at Shelby Park on January 12, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Tex.

Texas Is Spoiling for a Civil War Texas Is Spoiling for a Civil War

As Governor Greg Abbott escalates his border fight with the Biden administration, he is sounding a lot like an old Confederate.

Jan 30, 2024 / Elie Mystal

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, center, speaks at a news conference alongside prosecutor Nathan Wade, right.

The Fani Willis Scandal Is Bad—but It Doesn’t Change Her Case Against Trump The Fani Willis Scandal Is Bad—but It Doesn’t Change Her Case Against Trump

While the allegations that Willis had a romantic relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade are serious, they don’t affect the merits of the charges against the former president.

Jan 23, 2024 / Elie Mystal

US Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.

We Are Witnessing the Biggest Judicial Power Grab Since 1803 We Are Witnessing the Biggest Judicial Power Grab Since 1803

During a major hearing this week, the conservative justices made clear they’re about to gut the federal government’s power to regulate—and take that power for themselves.

Jan 18, 2024 / Elie Mystal

A screen at the entrance of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church displays a picture of Tyre Nichols, who was beaten to death by police officers in January 2023.

The Cops Killed More People in 2023 Than They Had in Years The Cops Killed More People in 2023 Than They Had in Years

Three-and-a-half years after the George Floyd protests rocked country, we are back to the quiet acceptance of systemic injustice.

Jan 11, 2024 / Elie Mystal

A bus with migrants coming from Texas arrives at Port Authority Bus Terminal on August 25, 2022, in New York City.

Eric Adams’s Suit Against Texas Bus Companies Is an Embarrassment Eric Adams’s Suit Against Texas Bus Companies Is an Embarrassment

If New York’s mayor truly wanted to help the immigrants arriving in the city, he would supply them with shelter and services, instead of trying to cut them off.

Jan 9, 2024 / Elie Mystal

John Roberts, chief justice of the US Supreme Court, during a State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, February 7, 2023.

John Roberts Thinks Judges Like Him Are Too Important to Be Replaced by AI John Roberts Thinks Judges Like Him Are Too Important to Be Replaced by AI

In his year-end report, the chief justice avoided the many elephants in the room—including Supreme Court corruption—to reassure judges that they’re superior to bots.

Jan 3, 2024 / Elie Mystal

Texas Governor Greg Abbott displays a signed border-security bill during a news conference at the Texas State Capitol on June 8, 2023.

Texas’s Latest Act of Anti-Immigrant Cruelty Is Blatantly Unconstitutional Texas’s Latest Act of Anti-Immigrant Cruelty Is Blatantly Unconstitutional

This week, Texas passed a law making undocumented immigration illegal in the state. The question now is: Will the Supreme Court do what’s right?

Dec 21, 2023 / Elie Mystal

A protester stands outside Trump Tower in Manhattan demanding that state governments disqualify former president Trump from appearing on ballots in 2024 under the 14th Amendment.

The Colorado Court’s Ruling Banning Trump From the Ballot Is Sharp as Hell The Colorado Court’s Ruling Banning Trump From the Ballot Is Sharp as Hell

While the ruling will be overturned by the Supreme Court, the conservative justices will have to tie themselves into a knot to do it.

Dec 20, 2023 / Elie Mystal

Special counsel Jack Smith makes a statement to the press in Washington, D.C., August 1, 2023, after former president Donald Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury.

Jack Smith Just Pulled a Serious Poker Move in His Case Against Trump Jack Smith Just Pulled a Serious Poker Move in His Case Against Trump

By appealing Donald Trump’s immunity claims to the Supreme Court, Smith is hoping to force the former president’s legal team to have to abandon that defense.

Dec 14, 2023 / Elie Mystal

Headstones bearing information about people who died from using OxyContin line a security fence outside the Supreme Court Building on Monday, December 4, 2023.

The Rot at the Heart of the Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy Case The Rot at the Heart of the Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy Case

The case against the makers of OxyContin is about a lot of things—above all the way wealthy people work the system to escape accountability.

Dec 7, 2023 / Elie Mystal

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