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.

The Supreme Court Is Going to Rubber-Stamp Racial Gerrymandering

The Supreme Court Is Going to Rubber-Stamp Racial Gerrymandering The Supreme Court Is Going to Rubber-Stamp Racial Gerrymandering

The court has found a loophole that could allow districts to exclude Black voters—and still call it constitutional.

Oct 12, 2023 / Elie Mystal

Donald Trump appears in the courtroom with his lawyers for his civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court on October 03, 2023.

Donald Trump’s Latest Threats Really Are About the Violence Donald Trump’s Latest Threats Really Are About the Violence

It can be tempting to dismiss Trump’s threats against his perceived opponents as mere bluster, but his attacks on Letitia James make it clear that he’s not just playing around.

Oct 3, 2023 / Elie Mystal

Donald Trump speaks at a political rally while campaigning for the GOP nomination in the 2024 election at Erie Insurance Arena in Pennsylvania.

A Modest but Serious Proposal for How to Save the GOP From Trump A Modest but Serious Proposal for How to Save the GOP From Trump

The push to dump the Electoral College is often framed as a Democratic concern, but it might actually help the Republican Party more.

Oct 2, 2023 / Elie Mystal

Supreme Court Preview: This Term, It Can Always Get Worse

Supreme Court Preview: This Term, It Can Always Get Worse Supreme Court Preview: This Term, It Can Always Get Worse

With the liberals thoroughly outmatched, the upcoming term will not be a battle between right and left—it will be a battle between shades of extremism.

Sep 29, 2023 / Feature / Elie Mystal

Donald Trump poses for a picture at a South Carolina gun store.

The Supreme Court Could Soon Let Trump Buy All the Guns He Wants The Supreme Court Could Soon Let Trump Buy All the Guns He Wants

Trump is currently prohibited from buying guns because he’s under criminal indictment. But two big court cases could change that.

Sep 26, 2023 / Elie Mystal

Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) listens to reporters' questions during a news conference at the US Capitol on September 12, 2023.

Mitch McConnell Will Not Go Gently Into the Senate Goodnight Mitch McConnell Will Not Go Gently Into the Senate Goodnight

Even if the senator wanted to retire, there’s no way he’ll let Kentucky’s Democratic governor choose his replacement, even temporarily.

Sep 18, 2023 / Elie Mystal

James C. Ho testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his nomination hearing to be a judge for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on November 15, 2017.

James Ho Wants to Be the Next Clarence Thomas James Ho Wants to Be the Next Clarence Thomas

The Fifth Circuit judge is a far-right extremist and provocateur—and he’s angling for a seat on the Supreme Court.

Sep 15, 2023 / Column / Elie Mystal

US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The Future of the Voting Rights Act Depends on... Brett Kavanaugh The Future of the Voting Rights Act Depends on... Brett Kavanaugh

A new effort by Alabama to gut the VRA was clearly inspired by a recent Kavanaugh opinion. Now the state is appealing to the Supreme Court—and Kavanaugh—to help seal the deal.

Sep 14, 2023 / Elie Mystal

During an April 19, 2023, news conference outside the US Capitol, activists hold signs calling for the immediate resignation of Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas.

Democrats Need to Grow a Spine and Actually Fight for the Courts Democrats Need to Grow a Spine and Actually Fight for the Courts

The GOP is trying to impeach judges over nothing, but Dems won't even go after Clarence Thomas for his very real mega-corruption. Come on!

Sep 11, 2023 / Elie Mystal

Nadine Seiler attends a rally for voting rights in front of the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C., on December 7, 2022.

Delegitimize the Supreme Court Delegitimize the Supreme Court

On the final episode of Contempt of Court, Elie Mystal is joined by legal experts Nikolas Bowie and Rhiannon Hamam to understand how we might strip the court of its presumed legit...

Aug 22, 2023 / Podcast / Elie Mystal

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