Eric Holder
Eric Himpton Holder Jr. is an American lawyer who served as the 82nd United States attorney general from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Holder was the first African American to hold the position.
Some of the key events about Eric Holder
- 1976Graduated from Columbia Law School
- 1988Appointed as a judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
- 1993Nominated and confirmed as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia
- 1997Appointed as Deputy Attorney General of the United States
- 1999Failed to recommend prosecution of FBI officials involved in the controversial Waco siege
- 2001Joined the law firm of Covington & Burling as a partner
- 2008Selected as senior legal advisor for Barack Obama's presidential campaign
- 2009Confirmed as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States
- 2009Faced criticism for his role in the controversial pardon of Marc Rich during the Clinton administration
- 2011Announced the decision not to defend the constitutionality of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act
- 2011Oversaw the controversial "Fast and Furious" gun-walking operation, which resulted in lost firearms and deaths
- 2012Successfully argued against Arizona's immigration law before the Supreme Court
- 2012Was held in contempt of Congress for refusing to release documents related to the "Fast and Furious" operation
- 2013Authorized the seizure of Associated Press phone records without prior notice, raising concerns about press freedom
- 2013Faced controversy over the Justice Department's surveillance of Fox News reporter James Rosen
- 2014Launched the "Smart on Crime" initiative to reform the criminal justice system
- 2014Criticized for not prosecuting any major Wall Street executives following the 2008 financial crisis
- 2014Oversaw increased prosecution of whistleblowers under the Espionage Act
- 2015Faced criticism for the Justice Department's civil asset forfeiture program, which allowed seizure of property without criminal charges
- 2015Left office with unresolved tensions between law enforcement and minority communities following high-profile police shootings
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.
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