Elizabeth Prelogar is to be chosen as Biden's acting solicitor-general
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Elizabeth Prelogar is likely to play a major role in shaping the new administration's legal defence of its early initiatives.
PHOTO: COOLEY.COM
WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) - Ms Elizabeth Prelogar, a Washington appellate lawyer who worked on the special counsel investigation into Russian election meddling, will serve temporarily as the top US Supreme Court advocate for incoming President Joe Biden's administration, according to a person who has been briefed on the plans.
Ms Prelogar will be appointed in the next day or two as deputy solicitor-general and will serve as acting solicitor-general until the Senate confirms the new president's nominee to fill the position permanently, said the person, who asked for anonymity to discuss the move before it is made public.
Ms Prelogar's appointment was first reported by National Law Journal.
The solicitor-general's office will have to make a number of key decisions in the opening weeks of Mr Biden's presidency.
Ms Prelogar will have to decide how to handle lingering appeals pressed by President Donald Trump's Justice Department, and she is likely to play a major role in shaping the new administration's legal defence of its early initiatives.
Her position will be akin to that of Mr Jeffrey Wall, who as acting solicitor-general in 2017 coordinated the defence of Trump's so-called travel ban, which barred entry into the US from a group of mostly Muslim countries.
After Mr Noel Francisco was confirmed as solicitor-general in September 2017, Mr Wall served as Francisco's deputy, before again becoming acting solicitor-general last year.
Ms Prelogar, currently a Washington appellate lawyer at Cooley LLP, previously served as an assistant in the solicitor-general's office and has argued seven Supreme Court cases. She "provided legal and strategic guidance" for Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, according to her biography on the Cooley website.
Neither Ms Prelogar nor the Biden transition office immediately responded to a request for comment.
"We are elated that Elizabeth will serve as the acting solicitor-general of the United States," said Mr Michael Attanasio, chairman of Cooley's litigation department, in an emailed statement.
"As our partner at Cooley, we have witnessed firsthand her skilled advocacy, exceptional integrity, and strong dedication to the rule of law."
