Mediaboss Marketing

Alternative Titles:Eric Himpton Holder, Jr.

Eric Holder, in full Eric Himpton Holder, Jr., (born January 21, 1951, New York, New York, U.S.), American lawyer who was the first African American to serve as U.S. attorney general (200915).

Holder grew up in Queens, New York, and attended the prestigious Stuyvesant High School before enrolling at Columbia University. After graduating with a degree in American history (1973), he remained at Columbia to complete a law degree (1976). In 1976 Holder joined the U.S. Justice Departments public integrity office, where he prosecuted cases involving government corruption. U.S. Pres. Ronald Reagan nominated him to be a superior court judge for the District of Columbia in 1988, and during his tenure he presided over civil and criminal cases in one of the countrys busiest court systems.

In 1993 Pres. Bill Clinton nominated Holder to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Confirmed by the Senate later that year, he became the first African American to head the countrys largest U.S. attorneys office. Holder made community outreach a priority, establishing a domestic violence task force and forging partnerships with local law enforcement and civic groups. He also worked to reduce gun crime. In 1997 Holder was named deputy attorney general, the second highest official at the Justice Department. The post gave him the opportunity to expand on the initiatives that he had launched as U.S. attorney. He stressed the importance of citizen involvement in the legal process, and his Lawyers for One America project encouraged diversity within the legal profession. After leaving office in 2001, he joined a law firm in Washington, D.C. In November 2008 President-elect Barack Obama selected Holder to serve as attorney general, and he was confirmed (7521) by the Senate in February 2009.

During his term in office, Holder broke with the precedent established by the administration of Pres. George W. Bush and advocated civilian, rather than military, trials for terrorism suspects. This recommendation met with resistance from Republican lawmakers, who introduced a measure that prohibited the transfer of prisoners from the Guantnamo Bay detention centre to the United States for such trials. Holders Justice Department initiated an investigation of the New Orleans police department, spurred by accusations of police misconduct in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The result was the preparation of a consent decree that would place the department under federal oversight. Holder once again clashed with Republican legislators in the wake of Operation Fast and Furious, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigation of gun trafficking on the U.S.-Mexico border from late 2009 to early 2011. After Holder failed to respond to a congressional subpoena of documents relating to the operation, and in spite of an assertion of executive privilege by Obama, the Republican-led House voted in June 2012 to find Holder in contempt of Congress. The vote marked the first time that a sitting member of the cabinet had been cited for contempt.

In September 2014 it was announced that Holder would be stepping down as attorney general. He was succeeded by Loretta Lynch in April 2015. Holder subsequently returned to private practice, but he remained involved in politics and was especially noted for his opposition to gerrymandering. In 2017 he became chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.

See more here:
Eric Holder | Biography & Facts | Britannica.com

9/11/2018 8:20 AM PDT

EXCLUSIVE

Oscar De La Hoya's political aspirations aren't exactly being met with thunderous applause in D.C. -- where former Attorney General Eric Holder sucked the air out of the boxer's Presidential plans.

Remember, Oscar came on "TMZ Live" on Monday and said he was launching an exploratory team to see if he could get the support he needs to make a serious run for the White House.

Oscar said he's dead serious about running for Prez -- and feels that if Trump could do it, why not him?

Fast-forward to Holder ... who could hardly believe we used the words "De La Hoya" and "President" in the same sentence.

"Oscar De La Hoya? I think he's be a better fighter than he could be a President," Holder said.

It gets better -- watch Holder's reaction when we bring up Donald Trump. He didn't have an official comment -- but his reaction said all you need to know.

See the original post:
Former AG Eric Holder Shades Oscar De La Hoya, Forget ...

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, of Covington & Burling. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM.

Four months after MichaelBrown was killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri, in the summer of 2014, as the countrys racial tensions reached a boiling point, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder visited the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to talk about the divide between law enforcement and communities of color. As he spoke to a room overflowing with concerned citizens, he was interrupted by a group of young protesters chanting, No justice, no peace.

As the commotion dwindled, he warned against those who might view their action in a negative light.

It is through that level of involvement, that level of concernand, I hope, a level of perseverance and commitmentthat change ultimately will come, he said.

It was a remarkable moment of honesty in the eyes of Sally Yates, then the U.S. attorney in Atlanta and soon to be Holders deputy attorney general.

That was Eric instinctually knowing and speaking what he really believed, she says. It was a healing moment.

It was classic Eric, according to Zachary Carter, corporation counsel for New York City and the former U.S. attorney in Queens.

The reason why people are willing to follow him, to walk through walls for him, is because he honors their viewpoints, Carter says.

Holder has been inspiring that level of confidence since his early days in the then newly formed public integrity section of the Department of Justice and throughout a career on the bench, in private practice at Covington & Burling, and at the highest levels of the government. His frank assessment of the criminal justice systems role in the mass incarceration of generations of black and Latino men, Carter says, has inspired prosecutors across the country to reconsider their priorities. It was an approach informed by his time spent as a judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia from 1988 to 1993, during the height of the crack epidemic, Yates says.

He saw how the wheels of justice were grinding there, and how an approach of enforcement only, of just sending people to prison, wasnt going to make our communities as safe as they could be or should be, she says.

Holder sees a theme running through his career, an unending search for justice and equality. It was there in his time at the DOJ, and its still there in the work hes done sincethe report for Uber Technologies Inc. on its issues with gender equality and workplace harassment, say, or helping Airbnb address racial bias.

I get to do things that are consistent with what I think lawyers should be doing as change agents, while at the same time being a contributing member of a great firm, Holder says.

Perhaps Holders greatest contribution, as Jim Cole of Sidley Austin, Holders deputy attorney general from 2011 to 2015, sees it, is his career-long pursuit of voting rights for every American. Holders first priority as attorney general was the rejuvenation and reinvigoration of the Civil Rights Division, Cole says, and he is now chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, focused on eliminating partisan gerrymandering.

Holder wants his career to be a reflection of the special responsibility lawyers have, their unique capacity for involvement in the life of the country.

Id like to think that through the entirety of my work Ive had a positive impact on the lives of people and made our system more fair and more just and our nation more equitable, Holder says.

And hes not done yet. Beyond everything hes doing right now to continue his public service, a possible presidential campaign looms. He has said hes interested and will consider running.

I dont think hes finished crafting his legacy, Yates says. Hes still got more lifetime.

Advice to young lawyers:Young lawyers should not be cowed by their inexperience or their youth. Young lawyers have the capacity to be responsible for great change, however many years theyve been a lawyer, whatever their age. If you look back at the Founding Fathers, they were, except for Ben Franklin, exceedingly young. These young guys decided to take on the mightiest empire in the world at that time and formed the nation that now exists.

Email: bseal@alm.com

See the original post here:
Lifetime Achiever: Eric Holder, Covington & Burling | The ...

Eric Holder stopped by theLate Show With Stephen Colbertlast night, and they talked about politics instead of anything funny or entertaining. When Colbert mentioned a tweet from CNNs April Ryan saying that Holder is seriously considering running for president in 2020, Colbert asked if that was true. He told an enthusiastic audience that he will decide sometime early next year, but that his focus is elsewhere right now.

My focus now is on 2018, the midterms and trying to make sure that Democrats take back the Senate, take back the House and that we do well importantly at the state level.

Honestly, that sounds like hes campaigning already, doesnt it?

In a world in which candidates were treated equally, Holder would have a difficult time. His handling of the Fast and Furiousand IRS scandals alone would give Americans pause.

No matter the candidates, 2020 is going to be a wild year.

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

The rest is here:
Eric Holder: I Haven't Decided If I'll Run in 2020 - redstate.com

Former Attorney General Eric HolderEric Himpton HolderThe Hill's Morning Report Trump, Putin meet under cloud of Muellers Russia indictments Eric Holder: Calls to abolish ICE are 'a gift to Republicans' The Hill's Morning Report Trump denigrates NATO allies, floats 4 percent solution MORE said Friday that the growing calls from Democrats to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are a "gift" to Republicans.

"I dont think that substantively or politically that makes a great deal of sense," Holder, who served under former President Obama, told host Chuck Todd on MSNBC's "MTP Daily."

In some ways, you're giving the Republicans a gift by saying we're going to have a debate now about whether ICE Should be abolished."

WATCH: @EricHolder says calls to eliminate ICE are "a gift to Republicans" and more focus should be on separated families #MTPDaily pic.twitter.com/YV2RdyNdBq

Holder's comments come as many Democratic lawmakers have voiced opposition to the agency in light of President TrumpDonald John TrumpNFL freezes policy barring players from protesting during anthem McConnell spokesman on Putin visit: 'There is no invitation from Congress' Petition urges University of Virginia not to hire Marc Short MORE's "zero tolerance" immigration policy that led to thousands of migrant families being separated at the southern border.

Earlier this week, a group of Democratic lawmakers introducedlegislation that would eliminate the agency.House Majority LeaderKevin McCarthyKevin Owen McCarthyHouse leaders clash over resolution backing ICE House backs resolution expressing support for ICE House GOP reverses, cancels vote on Dem bill to abolish ICE MORE(R-Calif.) responded byconfirming a timefor a vote on the bill.

Democratic Reps.Mark PocanMark William PocanHouse backs resolution expressing support for ICE House GOP reverses, cancels vote on Dem bill to abolish ICE This week: GOP mulls vote on abolish ICE legislation MORE(Wis.),Pramila JayapalPramila JayapalOvernight Health Care: Novartis pulls back on drug price hikes | House Dems launch Medicare for All caucus | Trump officials pushing ahead on Medicaid work requirements House Dems launching Medicare for All Caucus Sparks fly at hearing on anti-conservative bias in tech MORE(Wash.) andAdriano EspaillatAdriano de Jesus Espaillat CabralNAACP statehood statement leaves Puerto Ricans perplexed House GOP reverses, cancels vote on Dem bill to abolish ICE This week: GOP mulls vote on abolish ICE legislation MORE(N.Y.) accused GOP leadersof attempting to exploit the legislation for political gain, saying they would vote against the measure if it was brought to the House floor.

"We know Speaker Ryan is not serious about passing our 'Establishing a Humane Immigration Enforcement System Act,' so members of Congress, advocacy groups, and impacted communities will not engage in this political stunt,"the Democrats said in a joint statement on Thursday, adding that they welcome an opportunity for a debate about the legislation.

Republicans are hoping to force Democratic lawmakers running in swing districts in the November midterm elections into making a difficult vote on the agency.

Holdertold MSNBC that a debate on ICE moves away the focus from reunifying the thousands of migrant families separated at the border.

"The focus ought to be on what this administration did to those children, Holder said.

More:
Eric Holder: Calls to abolish ICE are 'a gift to Republicans ...