Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty
On Thursday afternoon, President Obama announced Eric Holder Jr.’s resignation as attorney general, saying that “through it all he’s shown a deep and abiding fidelity to one of our cherished ideals as a people and that is equal justice under the law.” Holder’s six years in office have seen him deal with everything from civilian trials for terrorists to Ferguson and the problem of race in the criminal-justice system. Holder, America’s first black attorney general, will reportedly wait to leave until his successor is confirmed. Holder is the fourth-longest-serving attorney general in history, as well as one of the longest-serving members of President Obama’s cabinet. The leading candidate to fill Holder’s shoes is said to be Solicitor General Don Verrilli. Despite calls at various points from the left and right for Holder’s resignation or firing, reports seemed to indicate that his close ties to the president kept him on board. One of the key focuses of Holder’s tenure was that of voting rights, and his efforts to battle states over voter-ID laws stood in stark contrast to the Supreme Court.