The Constitution

Jamaal Bowman arrives at the US Capitol on June 22, 2023.

Jamaal Bowman Knows Exactly How to Win the Next Fight Over Affirmative Action Jamaal Bowman Knows Exactly How to Win the Next Fight Over Affirmative Action

After a devastating Supreme Court decision, the House member and veteran educator has a plan that brings essential perspective to the defense of race-conscious admissions.

Jun 30, 2023 / John Nichols

Ketanji Brown Jackson, associate justice of the US Supreme Court

“A Tragedy for Us All”: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Dissent “A Tragedy for Us All”: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Dissent

The justice did not mince words in her dissent of the conservative supermajority's decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions.

Jun 29, 2023 / Ketanji Brown Jackson

A protester holds a sign reading

The Supreme Court Has Killed Affirmative Action. Mediocre Whites Can Rest Easier. The Supreme Court Has Killed Affirmative Action. Mediocre Whites Can Rest Easier.

The court ended one of our most effective social justice policies because anything that isn’t seen to primarily benefit white people is anathema to this country.

Jun 29, 2023 / Elie Mystal for The Nation

A protester holds a sign reading 'HANDS OFF MY VOTE' at a rally outside the Supreme Court on December 7, 2022.

The Supreme Court Has Foiled the GOP’s Latest Attempt to Destroy Democracy The Supreme Court Has Foiled the GOP’s Latest Attempt to Destroy Democracy

A 6-3 majority rebuffed an extremist Republican plot to subvert the electoral process.

Jun 28, 2023 / Elie Mystal

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 23: Associate Justice Samuel Alito sits during a group photo of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC on April 23, 2021. (Photo by Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images)

Matchmaker Leonard Leo Helps Unite Billionaires With Supreme Court Justices Matchmaker Leonard Leo Helps Unite Billionaires With Supreme Court Justices

High-court corruption is built on a network of plutocratic coziness.

Jun 23, 2023 / Jeet Heer

US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland addresses the findings of a Justice Department investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department during a press conference in Minneapolis, Minn., on June 16, 2023.

The Federal Government Is “Affirming Everything That Black People Have Been Saying” The Federal Government Is “Affirming Everything That Black People Have Been Saying”

The Department of Justice report slamming the Minneapolis Police Department is also a cause for hope.

Jun 22, 2023 / Ibrahim Hirsi

Demonstrators stand outside the US Supreme Court Building during oral arguments on Haaland v. Brackeen, a case challenging the Indian Child Welfare Act, on November 9, 2022.

Neil Gorsuch May Be the Supreme Court’s Fiercest Defender of Native Rights Neil Gorsuch May Be the Supreme Court’s Fiercest Defender of Native Rights

Gorsuch wrote two powerful decisions in support of tribal sovereignty this week. If only he thought women and Black people deserved the same respect.

Jun 16, 2023 / Elie Mystal

Supporters of abortion rights rally following the Supreme Court's Dobbs ruling in St. Paul, Minn., on June 25, 2022.

It’s Time to Call Abortion Bans What They Are—Torture and Cruelty It’s Time to Call Abortion Bans What They Are—Torture and Cruelty

The US must learn from other countries where denials of abortion are considered intentional, state-inflicted torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

Jun 9, 2023 / Payal Shah and Akila Radhakrishnan

President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Janai Nelson speaks to members of the press after the oral argument of the Merrill v. Milligan case at the US Supreme Court Building on October 4, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

The Voting Rights Act Has Survived Another Attempt on Its Life The Voting Rights Act Has Survived Another Attempt on Its Life

In a surprising ruling, two conservative justices joined the Supreme Court’s liberal wing to keep Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act intact.

Jun 9, 2023 / Elie Mystal

NSA surveillance protesters, organized by the “Stop Watching Us” coalition, march from Union Station to the US Capitol in 2013.

The FBI Is Back to Its Old Habits: Illegally Spying on Protesters The FBI Is Back to Its Old Habits: Illegally Spying on Protesters

There should be no future for Section 702, an enduring vestige of the post-9/11 security state. To kill it, all Congress has to do is do nothing.

Jun 9, 2023 / Column / Spencer Ackerman

x