We are living through a disastrous period in the history of the Supreme Court. In recent decisions, the Court’s conservative bloc has voted in lockstep against women, LGBTQ people, Native people, religious minorities, freedom of the press, and government accountability and for sweeping presidential immunity.

Elie Mystal, The Nation’s justice correspondent, brings his sharp legal mind to bear on the many ways in which the courts fundamentally shape American democracy. Showcasing his signature blend of wisecracks, wisdom, and legal expertise, Mystal’s 2024 columns address some of the most pressing questions facing our country’s highest court:

 “The truth of our polity is that nine politicians wearing black robes, unelected by the people and unaccountable to any higher authority, have taken it upon themselves to decide which laws we’re allowed to have and whose rights we’re bound to respect,” says Mystal.

Mystal has laid bare the Supreme Court’s supreme power as a policy-making institution, and he seeks to deepen the public’s understanding of the enormity of its influence. As he has watched the Supreme Court erode our democratic ideals, he has sounded a clarion call for activists, citizens, and politicians to do something.

Mystal explains clearly why seemingly arcane concepts like “Chevron deference” matter urgently to non-lawyers. “Without executive agencies with robust powers, it will be easier for companies to pollute the air and water, billionaires to cheat on their taxes, tech bros to monopolize markets, and mass shooters to buy restricted guns and ammunition,” he wrote, a few months before the Court struck down the 40-year-old doctrine.

He infuses life into the workings of the judiciary with wit, vim, and vigor in what could otherwise be a potentially dry and often overlooked arena. Consistently one of the most popular and most read Nation voices on the magazine’s masthead, Mystal has a capacity to both delight and infuriate readers, inspiring them to act.

Beyond the courts, Mystal steadfastly covers the daily whiplash of the political fray, amplifying calls for fairness and equity, civil rights and antiauthoritarianism. His unchecked and unfettered commentary offers a healthy dose of outrage, opining on everything from the electoral college to the ingrained racism of America to strategies surrounding electoral processes. As a frequent commentator on cable news, he’s been able to bring his core values of equity and justice and plain decency to more mainstream audiences.

“If you ever wondered what you’d have done in ancient Rome, when the Roman Republic was shuttered and Augustus Caesar declared himself the ‘first’ citizen of Rome, the answer is: whatever you’re doing right now,” Mystal wrote in a column about presidential immunity, “It’s what you would have done during the Restoration of King Charles II in England, and what you would have done when Napoleon declared himself emperor of France. This, right here, is how republics die.”