Elie Mystal


Elie Ying Mystal is an American political commentator, writer and former litigator. He is the justice correspondent at The Nation, where he writes about the courts and the criminal justice system.

Early life and education

Mystal's father, also named Elie Mystal, was Haitian-American, the first black person elected to the Suffolk County Legislature, and an influential political operative whose career ended with a fine for violating election district residency laws.

Career

Mystal is the author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution, which is intended to be an "easily digestible argument about what rights we have, what rights Republicans are trying to take away, and how to stop them." The book, which was published by The New Press in March 2022, made The New York Times Best Seller list that same month.
As of 2022, Mystal was a board member of Demand Justice, a liberal judicial advocacy group.

Publications

Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution. New York: The New Press. 2022...Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America. New York: The New Press. 2025..