Josh Gerstein is Politico’s Senior Legal Affairs Reporter. Gerstein covers the intersection of law and politics, including Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of President Donald Trump and his associates, as well as ensuing counter-investigations into the origins of the FBI’s initial inquiry into the Trump-Russia saga. While not a lawyer, Gerstein spent more time in courtrooms and reading legal pleadings than many members of the bar.

For more than a decade, he has taken Politico readers inside the most celebrated political trials of our era, involving figures like former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), former White House counsel Greg Craig, longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort.

Gerstein also reports on the Justice Department and legal controversies, including Supreme Court showdowns over same-sex marriage and Obamacare, all of the recent Supreme Court nominations, criminal justice reform and battles over executive privilege. Gerstein attended Harvard College and received a Bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in government.

Gerstein briefed National Press Foundation fellows in December 2024: Covering the Supreme Court: Shattering a Culture of Secrecy.