Supreme Court

Marlean Ames, who claims she was passed over for jobs because she is a straight woman, stands outside her lawyer's office in Akron, Ohio.

The Supreme Court Just Cleared the Way for a Flood of “Reverse Discrimination” Lawsuits The Supreme Court Just Cleared the Way for a Flood of “Reverse Discrimination” Lawsuits

The court’s ruling in favor of a woman who says she was passed over for jobs because she is straight is correct in theory—but it’s going to be terrifying in practice.

Jun 5, 2025 / Elie Mystal

Leonard Leo, former head of the Federalist Society, and Donald Trump.

Trump Is Headed to War With the Federalist Society—and It’s Gonna Be Huge Trump Is Headed to War With the Federalist Society—and It’s Gonna Be Huge

The fight might between the president and the conservative old guard might just be the biggest legal development of Trump’s second term.

Jun 3, 2025 / Elie Mystal

My Kindergarten Class Taught Me What’s Really at Stake in “Mahmoud v. Taylor”

My Kindergarten Class Taught Me What’s Really at Stake in “Mahmoud v. Taylor” My Kindergarten Class Taught Me What’s Really at Stake in “Mahmoud v. Taylor”

As the Supreme Court debates this case, I am reminded of the students I taught over two decades ago who gave me an invaluable lesson about what representation really means to them...

Jun 2, 2025 / George Theoharis

Wendy Raymond, president of Haverford College; Robert Manuel, president of DePaul University; David Cole, a professor at Georgetown Law and former legal director of the ACLU; and Jeffrey Armstrong, president of California Polytechnic State University testify during a hearing before the House Education and Workforce Committee at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 7, 2025, in Washington, DC. The committee held a hearing on “Beyond The Ivy League: Stopping the Spread of Antisemitism on American Campuses.”

McCarthyism 2.0: Reflections on Testifying in the House Antisemitism Hearings McCarthyism 2.0: Reflections on Testifying in the House Antisemitism Hearings

I soon realized that neither the law nor the facts matter to the Committee on Education’s Republican inquisitors.

May 28, 2025 / David Cole

President Donald Trump gestures on stage as he tours the Al Udeid Air Base on May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar.

Who Will Protect Judges From Trump’s Incitement? Who Will Protect Judges From Trump’s Incitement?

A threatened judiciary cannot rely on cops controlled by the White House.

May 26, 2025 / Jeet Heer

The west façade of the Supreme Court Building in Washington, DC, at dusk.

The Supreme Court Gifts Trump Even More Power The Supreme Court Gifts Trump Even More Power

The court seems ready to give the president extraordinary power over what had been independent worker- and consumer-protection agencies.

May 26, 2025 / Lynn Rhinehart

Associate US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

An Open Letter to Clarence Thomas An Open Letter to Clarence Thomas

As the Trump administration tries to remake society along apartheid lines, your vote to stop the assault, however unlikely, is absolutely essential.

May 19, 2025 / Column / Elie Mystal

United States Supreme Court justices

Why Only Republicans Have Free Speech Why Only Republicans Have Free Speech

The Supreme Court protects the rights of the rich and conservative—to heck with almost everyone else.

May 13, 2025 / Leah Litman

Hiding in plain sight: Despite the epic scale of his crypto-linked corruption, Trump is unlikely to ever face justice. Especially with so many Democrats eager to take the industry’s (real) money.

Why Trump’s Epic Crypto Corruption Will Go Unpunished Why Trump’s Epic Crypto Corruption Will Go Unpunished

The president is a brazen crook, but Democrats are too compromised to challenge him.

May 12, 2025 / Jeet Heer

Supreme Court Justice David Souter

David Souter Made the Supreme Court More Ideological by Refusing to Be an Ideologue David Souter Made the Supreme Court More Ideological by Refusing to Be an Ideologue

David Souter (1939–2025) liked facts, and facts are anathema to movement conservatives.

May 9, 2025 / Obituary / Elie Mystal

x