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.

Biden Has Chosen Ketanji Brown Jackson for a Reason

Biden Has Chosen Ketanji Brown Jackson for a Reason Biden Has Chosen Ketanji Brown Jackson for a Reason

Yes, Jackson’s nomination fulfills a historic promise. She’s also a legal superstar who’s long been considered a top contender for the court.

Feb 25, 2022 / Elie Mystal

Don’t Attack Biden’s Supreme Court Nominees for Playing by the Rules

Don’t Attack Biden’s Supreme Court Nominees for Playing by the Rules Don’t Attack Biden’s Supreme Court Nominees for Playing by the Rules

There have historically been few routes to legal-world success for Black women. Is it fair to change the rules on them now?

Feb 16, 2022 / Elie Mystal

Clarence and Ginni Thomas, the Supreme Court’s Unethical “It” Couple

Clarence and Ginni Thomas, the Supreme Court’s Unethical “It” Couple Clarence and Ginni Thomas, the Supreme Court’s Unethical “It” Couple

How the Thomases have been able to get away with their decades long abuse of influence.

Feb 9, 2022 / Elie Mystal

No Attack on Voting Rights Is Too Racist for This Supreme Court

No Attack on Voting Rights Is Too Racist for This Supreme Court No Attack on Voting Rights Is Too Racist for This Supreme Court

The court’s decision to let Alabama’s new redistricting map remain in place opens the door to a season of racist gerrymandering.

Feb 8, 2022 / Elie Mystal

The Many Remarkable Black Women Who Could Replace Stephen Breyer

The Many Remarkable Black Women Who Could Replace Stephen Breyer The Many Remarkable Black Women Who Could Replace Stephen Breyer

Biden has a wealth of choices when it comes to fulfilling his campaign promise to appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court.

Jan 27, 2022 / Elie Mystal

The Supreme Court vs. the Earth

The Supreme Court vs. the Earth The Supreme Court vs. the Earth

The conservatives on the Supreme Court are increasingly inserting themselves into the climate fight—and you guess which side they’re on.

Jan 26, 2022 / Elie Mystal

John Roberts Gets an F on His Annual Report

John Roberts Gets an F on His Annual Report John Roberts Gets an F on His Annual Report

The chief justice’s year-end appraisal of the federal judiciary reads as innocuous at first glance—it’s anything but.

Jan 24, 2022 / Column / Elie Mystal

Mitch McConnell frog face

Mitch McConnell’s Klanian Slip Mitch McConnell’s Klanian Slip

In saying the quiet part out loud, McConnell confirmed what many of us already knew: White people think they’re the only true Americans.

Jan 21, 2022 / Elie Mystal

What’s Really Behind the Microsoft-Activision Deal

What’s Really Behind the Microsoft-Activision Deal What’s Really Behind the Microsoft-Activision Deal

It isn’t the end of the console wars but the start of the metaverse wars.

Jan 19, 2022 / Elie Mystal

Lani Guinier Taught Me Almost Everything I Know About Voting Rights

Lani Guinier Taught Me Almost Everything I Know About Voting Rights Lani Guinier Taught Me Almost Everything I Know About Voting Rights

A brilliant professor, she showed me how the old Confederacy never really gave up—not after the Civil War, not after the Voting Rights Act, not ever.

Jan 12, 2022 / Elie Mystal

x