Laura Coates grew up outside Minneapolis after her family relocated from Massachusetts when she was in fourth grade. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University before returning to Minnesota for law school. Coates then practiced law at private firms and worked as a federal prosecutor in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. She later served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Washington, prosecuting violent felony cases.

Coates joined CNN as a legal analyst in 2016, contributing to coverage of President Trump’s two impeachments. She covered the trial of Derek Chauvin in 2021 and the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022. During these years, she also taught as an adjunct professor at George Washington University. In late 2022 and early 2023, she co-anchored CNN Tonight alongside Alisyn Camerota.

CNN named Coates its chief legal analyst in 2023, and she launched Laura Coates Live that October. The nightly program examines the day’s biggest stories through the lens of her background as a former prosecutor. Coates has also hosted network specials and CNN town halls. She additionally hosts The Laura Coates Show, a daily program on SiriusXM’s P.O.T.U.S. channel.