Eric Holder Jr. has put in his resignation as the United States Attorney General last week, after holding the position for over five years.
“In the months ahead I will leave the Department of Justice,” Holder said at a White House press conference. Until a successor is confirmed, Holder will stay on as U.S. Attorney General.
Obama praised Holder for his accomplishments, and Holder himself talked about some of the most critical issues he went after in his time office, such as defending civil rights of same-sex couples by his refusal to defend a law that defined marriage between one man and one woman. Holder led the suit against North Carolina and Texas over voter restrictions that affected minorities and the elderly.
Holder also spearheaded 20 separate investigations into local police departments who abused their power, and played a large role in trying to bring the situation in Ferguson, MO, to a resolution.
Obama said the resignation was “bittersweet,” as Holder held in tears. Holder said he had a strong working relationship with President Obama and was also “proud to call you [Obama] a friend.”
According to an NPR report, Holder will still have some very big policy and enforcement initiatives to tackle, before shutting the door as Attorney General.
He has already sent a memo to U.S. Attorneys urging them not to use a sentencing enhancement, called “851”, when attorneys use the “avoid huge amounts of prison time by avoiding trial” in plea negotiations.
Holder made no official announcement on what he plans to do next, but he is considering donating his papers to a university in D.C. or New York, where he is from. Friends say the donation would help to establish a civil rights center where Holder can help local law enforcement interact with communities of color.
He may be stepping down, but Holder says that “he will never leave the work.”