How Elizabeth Prelogar Stands Up to a Runaway Supreme Court

Lucky Loser Excerpt • Timothy Snyder Talks Freedom • Trump’s Latest Scapegoat [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( How Elizabeth Prelogar Stands Up to a Runaway Supreme Court Throughout the Biden years, Elizabeth Prelogar has had the unenviable yet essential job of arguing the government’s side on issues like abortion “in front of the most conservative, and unpopular, Supreme Court in nearly a century—one remade by Donald Trump, beset by ethics scandals, and responsible for setting the American project back several decades,” Cristian Farias [writes]( in the definitive profile of the nation’s 48th solicitor general. Farias traces Prelogar’s path from Idaho beauty pageants to Harvard Law School and the chambers of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “It was clear then how extraordinary she was,” says another former Ginsburg clerk, “but I think it has been made even more clear since then.” Though the 44-year-old lawyer may be a rock star among SCOTUS watchers, as Farias notes, many Americans are likely unfamiliar with precisely what she—or for that matter, any solicitor general—does. “It may be the most low-key influential job you’ve never heard of,” he writes, “tasked with defending the United States and its interests before the high court.” Plus, Jon Skolnik [speaks with]( Yale historian Timothy Snyder about his new book out today, On Freedom, the war in Ukraine, and how quickly people’s behavior can change under authoritarian rule. “When the regime changes, you change and you adapt,” he says. Also on shelves today is Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig’s Lucky Loser, for which we have [an exclusive excerpt]( on Trump’s military academy days and his early obsession with status. Speaking of Trump, Molly Jong-Fast [writes]( about how the GOP nominee demonizing Haitian immigrants in Ohio is part of his go-strategy to convince supporters they’re under siege, while Eric Lutz [contends](that Trump blaming Democrats for the apparent assassination attempt this past week is “part of of the problem,” as the nation grapples with heightened fears of political violence. Thanks for reading and we’ll be back in your inbox Thursday with some of the Hive’s most distinctive stories. —Michael Calderone, editor [Elizabeth Prelogar stands on a balcony]( [How Elizabeth Prelogar Stands Up to a Runaway Supreme Court]( By [Cristian Farias]( [From Idaho beauty pageants to Harvard Law School to the chambers of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the solicitor general of the United States has stood in front of judges all her life. Yet her role as the government’s last line of defense may be her toughest yet.]( [Read more button](   [Donald Trump Has Always Been Obsessed With Status—Even If He Had to Borrow It]( By [Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig]( [In an excerpt from their new book Lucky Loser, Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig recount how an adolescent Trump craved undeserved praise and authority at the New York Military Academy.]( [Read more button](   [Timothy Snyder Explains How Americans Might Adapt to Fascism Under Trump]( By [Jon Skolnik]( [In an interview with Vanity Fair, the Yale historian discusses quotidian authoritarianism, explains how Democrats can reclaim the word freedom, and critiques the “war fatigue” narrative around Ukraine. “How can we be tired?” he asks. “We’re not doing a damn thing.”]( [Read more button](   [Donald Trump’s Springfield Scapegoat]( By [Molly Jong-Fast]( [Haitian immigrants in Ohio are just the latest target in Trump’s long-running ploy to convince his supporters they’re under siege.]( [Read more button](   [Donald Trump Blaming Democrats for Apparent Assassination Attempt Is Part of the Problem]( By [Eric Lutz]( [The former president said Monday that his opponents’ rhetoric is making American politics ripe for violence. But Democrats are simply calling out Trump and his allies’ demagoguery for what it is.]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2024 Condé Nast