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Eric Holder, who led the Justice Department under President Obama, criticized his successor Attorney General Jeff Sessions Monday for announcing a new policy to make it easier to seize the cash and property of suspected drug traffickers.

In a tweet, Holder wrote that Sessions' policy was "another extremist action."

"This is a reform that was supported by conservatives and progressives, Republicans and Democrats," Holder said.

Holder is referring to a Justice Department memo he issued in 2015 that limited a type of practice that allowed local police to share the proceeds of seized cash and property with the federal government.

The act of civil asset forfeiture has been criticized by Democrats and Republicans because in many instances, neither a criminal conviction or a charge is necessary for police to seize cash and property.

Sessions was a leading supporter of asset forfeiture when he served in the Senate.

"With care and professionalism, we plan to develop policies to increase forfeitures," Sessions said Monday during a speech to the National District Attorney's Association in Minneapolis. "No criminal should be allowed to keep the proceeds of their crime."

In addition to the planned asset forfeiture policy change, Sessions has also reversed another major Holder initiative. Holder had issued memos directing prosecutors to not seek mandatory minimum sentences for low-level drug offenses.

In May, Sessions directed federal prosecutors to "charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offense" in drug cases, including mandatory minimums.

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Eric Holder accuses Jeff Sessions of 'another extremist action' on asset forfeiture - Washington Examiner

Photo: Mason Trinca, Special To The Chronicle

In SF, ex-attorney general Holder tells left to keep fighting

Former Attorney General Eric Holder doesnt see a lot of political sunshine on the horizon for anyone who feels aghast at efforts by national Republican power-holders to roll back much of what he and his erstwhile White House boss did before President Trumps inauguration. But he does have some basic advice.

You cant just curl up in a fetal position, he said Wednesday night at a gathering of about 800 decidedly liberal lawyers at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco.

Yes, he said in response to on-stage questions from Stanford law Professor Pamela Karlan, he hears disturbing echoes of Watergate in current White House affairs. And yes, he told Karlan, he worries that the arc of the moral universe that Martin Luther King Jr. said always bends toward justice may bend away.

But that doesnt mean you give up, said Holder, who as U.S. attorney general under President Barack Obama was the first African American to hold the post.

Its the responsibility of all of us to keep our hands on that arc, he said. There is fighting to be done, there are lawsuits to be brought you can never underestimate the power of the American people.

Holder was speaking at the annual fundraiser for Legal Aid At Work, a nonprofit that represents low-income workers statewide just the kind of audience ripe for a renowned Democrat whose mission is cast as that of a man fighting against powerful forces hammering down on the little guy.

To accent the point of his visit, Holder handed out an award from the nonprofit to retiring U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson, who in 1962 was the first African American lawyer in the federal Justice Departments civil rights division. Legal Aid at Work Executive Director Joan Graff said Holder was booked for the gig because, with Trump and his Attorney General Jeff Sessions in power, we have grave concerns with respect to the law, and theres no one better than Eric Holder to speak to that.

That aspect had particular local weight considering Holder and the law firm where he is a partner, Covington & Burling, were hired in January to advise the state Assembly and Senate in their fight against Trumps policies. The Assembly allowed the contract to expire in June, but the Senate retained the service.

Holder told the crowd Wednesday night that he found it disturbingly curious that the 1960s paradigm of states rights versus federal power has been reversed so much so that hirings like his own seem necessary to combat attempts to roll back his or Obamas achievements on a wide range of issues from LGBT and immigrant rights to health care and environmental protections.

Back during the civil rights movement, the worst words that could ever come off somebodys lips were states rights, he said, because they were the rallying call of racists like Alabama Gov. George Wallace for efforts to oppress people. Now, the oppression is reversed, he said.

What were talking about now in California ... is an effort not to go back.

The ex-attorney general said after his talk that his main advice to California is to be unafraid and determined, because the state is in for a stiff battle.

Theres a lot of creative negativity going on in Washington, and were going to have to stay busy, he said.

As Holder left the stage, he cocked his ear and smiled. The song pumping from the speakers was Revolution, by the Beatles.

Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com

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In SF, ex-attorney general Holder tells left to keep fighting - SFGate - SFGate

MEDIA CONTACTS: Malik Russell/410-580-5761/mrussell@naacpnet.org Ronald E. Childs/312-361-4796/rchilds@burrell.com

BALTIMORE (July 13, 2017) Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, a leading progressive voice who has spent decades of a remarkable career at the forefront of the nations most critical issues, will keynote the Clarence Mitchell Jr., Memorial Luncheon to be held on Monday, July 24th at the NAACP 108th National Convention, at the Baltimore Convention Center, One W. Pratt St.

Holder will look to address the growing issue of how voting districts are drawn with partisan intentions to dilute actual voting power. This issue is of particular importance to communities of color due to the rise of newer strategies for voter suppression, spurred on by the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act.

An analysis from the Associated Press, found four times as many states with Republican-skewed state House or Assembly districts than Democratic ones. Among the two dozen most populated states that determine the vast majority of Congress, there were nearly three times as many with Republican-tilted U.S. House districts. See http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/partisan-gerrymandering-has-benefited-gop-analysis-shows-n776436

The annual luncheon honors the life and legacy of a stalwart of equal justice, Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr., a Baltimore native and former chief Washington lobbyist for the NAACP for nearly three decades. Mitchell, nicknamed the 101st U.S. Senator, played a key role in winning passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Clarence Mitchell, Jr., went on to lobby successfully for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as well as the extensions of the act in 1970 and 1975.

Embracing the theme, Steadfast and Immovable, the NAACP will convene at its headquarter city to set policies, programs and plans of action for the coming year, while also moving to address todays challenges collectivelynotably the current climate of economic uncertainty and political unrest. The organizations national convention each year attracts some 8,000 members, supporters, branch delegates and staff, local youth activists and organizers, legislators, business leaders and celebrities all coming together to engage, network, share strategies, successes and key learnings with the purpose of driving the NAACPs agenda forward.

A native of Queens, New York, Holder attended Columbia University where he earned a B.A. in American History in 1973, and received a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1976. Mr. Holder began his career at the U.S. Justice Department immediately after graduating law school. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan appointed him to serve as a judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In 1993, President Clinton appointed Holder to serve as Deputy Attorney General under Janet Reno, a position he held until 2001. Holder was in private practice from 2001 until 2007.

President Barack Obama nominated Holder to be the 82nd United States Attorney General in January 2009. And, following Senate confirmation, Holder was sworn in on February 3, 2009. During his tenure with the U.S. Department of Justice, Holder advanced civil rights initiatives to protect the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and promoted criminal justice reform with the Smart on Crime Program, which impacts sentencing.

As the third longest serving Attorney General in U.S. history, and the first African- American to hold that office, Mr. Holder is an internationally recognized leader across a broad range of regulatory enforcement, criminal justice and national security issues. In 2014, TIME magazine named Mr. Holder to its list of 100 Most Influential People, noting that he had worked tirelessly to ensure equal justice. Mr. Holder retired from the Justice Department in 2015, and is a partner with Covington & Burling, LLP.

Media Credentials

Members of the press who would like to attend and cover the 108th Annual NAACP National Convention in Baltimore, Maryland, are asked to complete this form, and a representative will contact you promptly with the appropriate credentialing information.

More about the NAACPs 108th Annual Convention

Other highlights will includetheNAACP ACT-SO (Academic, Cultural, Technical and Scientific Olympics) final competition and awards,thehighly anticipated Freedom Fund Banquet,plus a health pavilion, retail expo,veteransluncheonand a diversity career fair. The full schedule (which will continue to be updated) can be found here.

ABOUT THE NAACP:

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nations oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACPs work and our six Game Changer issue areas by visiting NAACP.org.

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Former US Attorney General Eric Holder to Address Growing role of Partisan Gerrymandering in Attempts to Remake ... - NAACP (press release)

The Associated Press

by Adelle Nazarian13 Jul 20170

You cant just curl up in a fetal position, Holder said Wednesday night to approximately 800 leftist lawyers at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. According to the San Francisco Chronicle,he was speaking attheannual fundraiser for Legal Aid At Work. Its the responsibility of all of us to keep our hands on that arc, he said. There is fighting to be done, there are lawsuits to be brought. You can never underestimate the power of the American people.

California,which has voted for the Democrat in every presidential election since 1992, is seen as the headquarters of the Resistance movementagainst Trump. To that effect, Holder told the crowd to be unafraid and determined because [t]heres a lot of creative negativity going on in Washington, and were going to have to stay busy.

TheChronicle notes that the song Revolution by the Beatles played as Holder left the stage, following his pep talk.

Inthe Obama administration, Holder oversaw the smuggling of weapons across the Mexican border,in what became known as the Fast and Furious scandal. While the program was presented as a way to track drug cartels, it is believeditwas also created as away tohelp Democrats push for greatergun control. Holder was eventually held in contempt of Congress.

Throughout the United States, and particularly in the deep blue state of California, at least 20 alumniof the Obama administration are running for political office to secure Obamas name.

Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her onFacebookandTwitter.

Big Government, Breitbart California, Social Justice, 2nd Amendment, barack obama, Donald Trump, Eric Holder, Fast and Furious, gun control, Legal Aid at Work, progressive, resist, resistance, revolution, san francisco

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Eric Holder Tells San Francisco Activists to Keep Fighting - Breitbart News

Conservative Review

Obama joins Eric Holder powwow to fund Dem electoral tinkering Conservative Review Former President Barack Obama will make an appearance at a Washington, D.C.-area fundraiser to help boost the efforts of his former attorney general, Eric Holder, and his project to counter recent-years' massive Democrat losses by tinkering with ... Obama set for first political event since leaving officeCNN Guess Who's Bizzack? Obama to Host Gerrymandering-Busting Fundraiser in DC This WeekThe Root He's Back: Obama Makes First Political Appearance Since Leaving White HouseBreitbart News Vibe -WLTZ 38 NBC -The Hayride -Politico all 32 news articles »

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Obama joins Eric Holder powwow to fund Dem electoral tinkering - Conservative Review