Attorney, writer and political commentator Elie Mystal joins Laverne to talk about the radically conservative United States Supreme Court, the constitutional amendments through history and his eye-opening book, Allow Me To Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution. He explains how the judges’ own personal tastes make the largest impact on decisions and how the right’s unification has reaped a pipeline of conservative judges the left cannot replicate. They also talk about options like stacking the court and term limits to make change, but when it comes down to it, guess what, it’s up to us. Elie is a frequent media contributor and the justice correspondent at The Nation. Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. As always, stay in the love. *** The U.S. Constitution Amendments mentioned: 1st Amendment = freedom of religion, speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances 2nd Amendment = the right to bear arms 4th Amendment = the right to be protected against unreasonable search and seizure “Reconstruction Amendments”  13th Amendment (1865) = abolition of slavery 14th Amendment (1868) = US citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws 15th Amendment (1870) = Black men can vote   Links of Interest:  Elie Mystal on The Mehdi Hassan Show (MSNBC via YouTube, 6/29/23) Here’s What Happened When Affirmative Action Ended in California Public Colleges (NPR, 6/30/23) The Current Supreme Court Justices News and analysis of the US Supreme Court  Reconstruction Amendments (Video, PBS) The Federalist Society Progressive Mobilization: American Constitution Society (ACS) Alliance for Justice Demand Justice   Cases mentioned: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Loving v. Virginia US vs. Rahimi (opinion) Slaughterhouse Cases Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis   Previous Episodes Mentioned: Residential Segregation & Structural Racism w/ Richard Rothstein   CREDITS: Executive Producers: Sandie Bailey, Alex Alcheh, Lauren Hohman, Tyler Klang & Gabrielle Collins Producer & Editor: Brooke Peterson-Bell Editing Support: Nikolas Harter Associate Producer: Akiya McKnightSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.