The United States Constitution was written nearly 240 years ago, laying the foundations for an independent, successful, democratic country. But, like most of the nation’s laws, it was written by and for wealthy white men.
To put it simply, the US legal system today feels, in some ways, both outdated and discriminatory – especially when it’s either under attack or weaponized by Donald Trump. It’s this exact issue that Elie Mystal, lawyer, author, and justice correspondent at The Nation magazine, tackles in his new book, Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America.
He tells Mehdi in the video above, “We are certainly not the greatest democracy on Earth. I'm not sure that we're in the top 10, and that is because our laws, such as we have them, are functioning as intended… The problem is that they were supposed to function as racist, sexist, and anti-democratic laws.”
He specifically takes aim at voter registration laws, explaining, “Our system of forcing people to pre-register, it's just there for voter suppression, and it wasn't even endemic to the country. Voter registration laws did not become a thing in this country until after the Civil War when you had an influx in the North of newly freed enslaved Africans and an influx of European immigrants.”
“It was for voter suppression, not voter security,” he adds.
Mystal is also scathing about the way in which big law firms like Paul Weiss have rolled over in the face of threats and intimidation from the Trump administration.
“I am deeply saddened by the cowardice we're seeing from the elite law firms in the country because these are people who are most able to protect themselves from Donald Trump,” he tells Mehdi. “They have the power to stand up to him. They are too sniveling and afraid to do so.”
For Mystal, “the constitutional crisis is here, the fascism is here, and so whatever we're doing right now is what we do in the face of fascism.”
You can click here to buy a copy of Mystal’s latest book, ‘Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America,’ and also, do share your own review of it with us in the comments below!
Looking for more book recommendations? Visit the Zeteo book club here for inspiration!
If you’re a paid subscriber, you can watch the full interview above to hear about how Trump is weaponizing centuries-old laws and what could happen if he defies court orders.
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Here are some other recent Mehdi Unfiltered interviews with book authors:
