Eric Holder
Attorney General

Status: Named; needs to be formally nominated and confirmed by Senate

About Eric Holder

Mr. Holder is Obama's choice for the job. He needs to be formally nominated and approved by Senate. A former Justice Department official in the Clinton administration, Mr. Holder led Obama's vice presidential search.

Known for the "Holder Memorandum," which led to heavy-handed prosecution tactics against white-collar defendants, Mr. Holder is said to be capable of restoring the Justice Department's reputation. However, the pardon of billionaire Marc Rich in a tax-fraud case under his watch is seen as a negative.

On Day 1, Holder promises break with Bush policies - February 3. 2009 - WASHINGTON -- On Attorney General Eric Holder's first day on the job, he signaled a clean break with past policies of the Bush administration and promised to hold Wall Street accountable if any major financial institutions engaged in fraud that contributed to the global financial crisis.

Holder: Waterboarding Is Torture - January 15, 2009 - Attorney General-nominee Eric Holder faced often aggressive grilling from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday. But one of the first statements made by President-elect Barack Obama's designee to head the Department of Justice during the confirmation hearing was perhaps the most important.

Holder did not report news event with Blagojevich - December 19, 2008 - WASHINGTON -- Attorney General-designate Eric Holder, in written responses to the Senate Judiciary Committee, did not include information about a news conference he attended with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.