(NNPA)—“Mr. President…I pledge to show to you and the American people that if I have the honor of being confirmed by the Senate, I will wake up every morning with the protection of the American people my first thought. And I will work every day to safeguard our citizens, our liberties, our rights, and this great nation which has given so much to me and my family.”— Loretta Lynch on Nov. 8 upon nomination by President Obama to be America’s next Attorney General
I had the honor of visiting the White House for President Obama’s announcement of his choice to succeed Eric Holder, who recently declared his decision to retire, as Attorney General of the United States. It had been rumored for days that Loretta Lynch, who currently heads the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, had risen to the top of the president’s list. While the timing of the announcement, just four days after the power-shifting mid-term elections, may have surprised many, it also confirmed the president’s commitment to seamlessly uphold the civil rights protections and criminal justice reforms that have been so fiercely advocated by Holder.
Lynch, who would be the nation’s first African American woman Attorney General, has served more than15 years as a prosecutor in the office that covers 8 million people in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island, N.Y. The Senate unanimously confirmed her to lead the U.S. Attorney’s office on two separate occasions—once under President Clinton and more recently under President Obama.
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