Elie Mystal

Justice Correspondent & Columnist

@ElieNYC

Elie Mystal is The Nation’s justice correspondent and a columnist. He is also an Alfred Knobler Fellow at the Type Media Center. He is the author of two books: the New York Times bestseller Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution and Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America, both published by The New Press. You can subscribe to his Nation newsletter “Elie v. U.S.” here.

An election worker sorts mail-in ballots for the 2024 presidential election in Martinez, California, on Election Day.

The Supreme Court Looks Likely to Cave on Mail-In Ballots The Supreme Court Looks Likely to Cave on Mail-In Ballots

The GOP shouldn’t win this case, but the fact that Trump has been throwing a tantrum about it for years means they likely will.

Mar 24, 2026 / Elie Mystal

Donald Trump Throws Another Big Tariff Tanty

Donald Trump Throws Another Big Tariff Tanty Donald Trump Throws Another Big Tariff Tanty

And other essential news of the week—including new legislation on prediction markets and a threat to the critically endangered Rice’s whale.

Mar 20, 2026 / Elie Mystal

President Donald Trump flanked by Vice President JD Vance, from left and House Speaker Mike Johnson during the 2026 State of the Union address.

Why Does the Supreme Court Treat Trump Like a “Regular” President? Why Does the Supreme Court Treat Trump Like a “Regular” President?

The emperor is stark naked, but thanks to a misguided legal doctrine, the Republican justices keep insisting he’s fully clothed.

Mar 16, 2026 / Column / Elie Mystal

Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD)

Jamie Raskin Just Told John Roberts: “The Emperor Has No Clothes” Jamie Raskin Just Told John Roberts: “The Emperor Has No Clothes”

In this week’s Elie v. US, The Nation’s justice correspondent hails Raskin’s bold call-out. Plus, a counterintuitive take on the SAVE Act and a controversial video-game ...

Mar 13, 2026 / Elie Mystal

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, chief product officer Mike Krieger and head of communications Sasha de Marigny give a press conference on May 22, 2025.

Anthropic’s Lawsuit Should Absolutely Destroy the Pentagon in Court Anthropic’s Lawsuit Should Absolutely Destroy the Pentagon in Court

But make no mistake: The company is not one of the good guys.

Mar 11, 2026 / Elie Mystal

An Argument Against Voting for the “Electable” Guy

An Argument Against Voting for the “Electable” Guy An Argument Against Voting for the “Electable” Guy

In this week’s Elie v. US, The Nation’s justice correspondent shares his thoughts on the Texas primaries. Plus, a terrible Supreme Court decision and a bad play by Major League Ba...

Mar 6, 2026 / Elie Mystal

The State of the Game Show

The State of the Game Show The State of the Game Show

In this week’s Elie v. US, our justice correspondent explores how Trump’s State of the Union turned authoritarian violence into a titillating event. Plus Kansas’s vile ban on driv...

Feb 27, 2026 / Elie Mystal

Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas speaks at the Heritage Foundation on October 21, 2021.

Clarence Thomas Just Struck Another Blow to Black Power Clarence Thomas Just Struck Another Blow to Black Power

In his majority ruling in a sleeper case about mail delivery, Thomas opened the door to a new way for Republicans to suppress the Black vote.

Feb 26, 2026 / Elie Mystal

A television on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange broadcasts news about the Supreme Court striking down Donald Trump’s global tariffs.

The Giant Mess Behind the Supreme Court’s Tariffs Ruling The Giant Mess Behind the Supreme Court’s Tariffs Ruling

The 6–3 decision was a rare victory, but it was crafted out of conflicts that leave almost nothing certain—including future tariff rulings.

Feb 24, 2026 / Elie Mystal

Minnesota Made Trump Blink

Minnesota Made Trump Blink Minnesota Made Trump Blink

But Tom Homan is a lying liar, and the work’s not done. Plus, Gallup’s sketchy new polling policy (is the analytics firm in the Trump tank?), the law for deepfakes, and more in th...

Feb 13, 2026 / Elie Mystal

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