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The Senate voted 53-36 to confirm acting Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar's permanent appointment to the role.
Why it matters: Prelogar will be the second woman ever to be in charge of representing the U.S. in cases before the Supreme court.
Background: Prelogar is a Harvard Law graduate and previously clerked for Attorney General Merrick Garland when he was a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court.
- She also clerked for Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan — the first woman to be solicitor general.
- Prelogar spent five years as an attorney in the solicitor general's office, wherein she argued seven cases before the Supreme Court as an appellate attorney, per CNN.
- She also served on the staff of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller during the investigation into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
- Prelogar has been the acting solicitor general since January. In August, President Biden nominated her to permanently fill the position.