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.

If You Want to Reform the Court, Reform the Media, Too

If You Want to Reform the Court, Reform the Media, Too If You Want to Reform the Court, Reform the Media, Too

On this episode of Contempt of Court, Melissa Murray and Elie Mystal reflect on how the media discusses SCOTUS.

Jul 25, 2023 / Audio / Elie Mystal

Senate Judiciary Committee member Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) displays a copy of a painting featuring Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas alongside Harlan Crow and other conservative friends during a hearing on Supreme Court ethics reform.

It’s Summer Vacation. Does the Media Know Where Clarence Thomas Is? It’s Summer Vacation. Does the Media Know Where Clarence Thomas Is?

As corruption scandals ooze from the muck of the Supreme Court, it’s time for the media to up their reporting game—and report on the justices like the political actors they are.

Jul 20, 2023 / Elie Mystal

Photo illustration of the Supreme Court building as sand in an hourglass running out)

You’re Wrong About Term Limits You’re Wrong About Term Limits

On this episode of Contempt of Court, Leah Litman and Aaron Belkin join the podcast to discuss what's wrong with everybody's favorite reform option.

Jul 18, 2023 / Audio / Elie Mystal

Students enter the Admissions Building on the campus of Harvard University n Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The White Media Has Missed a Key Part of the Affirmative Action Ruling The White Media Has Missed a Key Part of the Affirmative Action Ruling

The upshot isn’t just that colleges must end affirmative action but that they’ll have to cut Black enrollment to avoid lawsuits questioning their compliance with the decision.

Jul 12, 2023 / Elie Mystal

Representative Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) speaks at a press conference calling for the expansion of the Supreme Court on July 18, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

Elie Mystal’s Court-Packing Plan Elie Mystal’s Court-Packing Plan

On this episode of Contempt of Court, Elie Mystal tells us how many justices we should add to the Supreme Court.

Jul 11, 2023 / Audio / Elie Mystal

Representative Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) speaks

Why and How to Pack the Court Why and How to Pack the Court

On the first episode of the Contempt of Court podcast, Chris Kang and Representative Jamaal Bowman explore what court expansion actually is, and how attitudes around it are finally...

Jul 4, 2023 / Audio / Elie Mystal

A protester outside the Supreme Court holding a sign reading

The Supreme Court Has Kicked the Door Wide Open to Jim Crow–Style Bigotry The Supreme Court Has Kicked the Door Wide Open to Jim Crow–Style Bigotry

The court's conservatives used a case literally based on a homophobe’s fantasies to blow a huge hole in our antidiscrimination laws and revive the spirit of Plessy v. Ferguson.

Jul 3, 2023 / Column / Elie Mystal

John Roberts at the 2022 State of the Union.

The Supreme Court Just Told Student Debtors to Go to Hell The Supreme Court Just Told Student Debtors to Go to Hell

In a wildly incoherent opinion, John Roberts blocked Biden’s student debt relief plan—and reminded everyone that he thinks only Republican presidents are allowed to rule.

Jun 30, 2023 / Elie Mystal

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 / Editorial / 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

x