Supreme Court Activism Didn’t Start With the Far Right

Cornell Belcher’s Midterm Prophecy • Election Deniers in Congress • Lauren Boebert in Peril [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( Supreme Court Activism Didn’t Start With the Far Right Good morning from the Hive newsroom! To start, we have a [fresh excerpt]( from Douglas Brinkley about William O. Douglas, the firebrand conservationist who was arguably the Supreme Court’s first activist justice. “With all the current hand-wringing about the politicization of the judiciary,” Brinkley writes, “Douglas was Exhibit A in pushing his own political agenda—as a liberal, libertarian, and crusading environmentalist.” Now that the midterms are (mostly) behind us, Chris Smith speaks with pollster Cornell Belcher for a [postmortem]( on why the “red wave” never came to pass. Elsewhere, Eric Lutz [reports]( that the number of election deniers in Congress grew on Tuesday, while Caleb Ecarma [notes]( that a recount is likely in store for Lauren Boebert, who has been “uncharacteristically quiet on Twitter this week” as she remains neck and neck with her Democratic challenger. Zooming out, Bess Levin [observes]( that Fox News, the New York Post, and The Wall Street Journal have all dumped Donald Trump in favor of his current archnemesis, Ron DeSantis. “While a sad Trump could once turn to the warm embrace of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire to make him feel better about himself,” Levin writes, “that metaphorical bosom…is no longer.” Thanks for reading! [Supreme Court Activism Didn’t Start With the Far Right. Meet the Liberal Maverick William O. Douglas]( By [Douglas Brinkley]( [Among the conservationist pioneers profiled in the new book Silent Spring Revolution is the firebrand SCOTUS justice, an early eco-crusader.]( [Read more button](   [“There’s No Red Wave in the Data”: The Pollster Who Got the Midterms Right]( By [Chris Smith]( [Tuesday highlighted the growing generational split between Democratic and Republican voters. “There really are two electorates,” Cornell Belcher tells Vanity Fair. “One older and one younger, fighting to take this country in very different directions.”]( [Read more button](   [Republicans’ Election-Denier Caucus Got Bigger in the Midterms]( By [Eric Lutz]( [Democrats and pro-democracy Americans are rightly pleased with the results of this week’s election so far. But they’ll still have to reckon with the more than 200 “big lie” candidates who won their races this cycle.]( [Read more button](   [Lauren Boebert’s Surprisingly Close Reelection Race Is Likely Headed for a Recount]( By [Caleb Ecarma]( [The right-wing firebrand is in a race against Democrat Adam Frisch that could be decided by a razor-thin margin.]( [Read more button](   [Rupert Murdoch Knees Trump in the Balls While He’s Doubled Over Coughing Up Blood]( By [Bess Levin]( [The message from the Murdoch-owned New York Post, Wall Street Journal, and Fox News is clear: Pack your bags, bitch. You’re done.]( [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](newsletter=vf) Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2022 Condé Nast