Holder Nomination Receives Broad
Support
Law Enforcement, Crime Victims
Advocates,
Civil Rights Organizations And Republican Officials
Urge Confirmation Of Eric H. Holder Jr. As Attorney General Of The
United States
WASHINGTON (Monday, Dec. 22, 2008) – President-elect Barack Obama’s pick
to be the next Attorney General of the United States is receiving broad,
bipartisan support from law enforcement officers, organizations, and
advocates across the country. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman
Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Monday released letters from more than four
dozen individuals and organizations that support the nomination of Eric
H. Holder Jr. to be Attorney General of the United States, including
support from law enforcement, crime victim advocates, civil rights
organizations, and former Republican officials.
National
organizations including the National District Attorney’s Association,
the National Association of Police Organizations, the International
Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Association of Assistant
United States Attorneys, the National Center for Victims of Crime, the
National Organization for Victim Assistance, Mothers Against Drunk
Driving, the Asian American Justice Center, the National Council of La
Raza, the National Council of Jewish Women, the NAACP, and many others
have written to the Senate Judiciary Committee to express their support
for Holder.
The endorsement from
the
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and a number of civil rights
organizations expressed “strong support for the historic nomination of
Eric Holder to the position of Attorney General of the United States,”
citing Holder as “among the most qualified nominees for Attorney General
in the last fifty years and . . . uniquely suited to lead the Department
at this moment in time.” The endorsement noted: “The nation
urgently needs an Attorney General dedicated to restoring the
independence and integrity of the Department, with an unquestionable
commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law. Eric Holder is
the right person for this job.”
James B. Comey, the prosecutor in charge of the Marc Rich case and
the criminal investigation into the Marc Rich pardon, described Holder
as “a smart, decent, humble man, who knows and loves the Department and
has demonstrated his commitment to the rule of law across an entire
career.” Comey concluded, “Eric Holder should be confirmed as Attorney
General.”
Letters of support
have been received from the following organizations and individuals.
All letters will
be available online.
Law Enforcement:
National District
Attorney’s Association
National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO)
Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)
International Association of Chiefs of Police
National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys
James B. Comey, former Deputy Attorney General, Dec. 2003-Aug. 2005
John P. Sarcone, Polk County Attorney, Iowa
Crime Victims:
National Center for Victims of Crime
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
International Organization for Victim Assistance
National Crime Victim/Survivor Assistance and Allied Organizations
American Probation and Parole Association
Appriss
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
Illinois Victims
Justice Solutions
Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center
National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center
National Leadership Council for Crime Victim Justice
The National Organization of Victims of “Juvenile Lifers”
Partnership for Safety and Justice
Security on Campus
Anne K. Seymore, National Crime Victim Advocate
Sharon J. English, Homicide Victim Survivor, Crime Victim Services
Advocate
Mario Thomas Gaboury, J.D., Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Criminal
Justice, University of New Haven,
Ct.
Dan Levey, National President of Parents of Murdered Children (POMC),
advisor for Victims to Arizona
Governor Janet Napolitano
Civil Rights:
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Asian American Justice Center
National Council of La Raza
National Council of Jewish Women
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund
Human Rights Campaign
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
National Organization for Women
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Feminist Majority
National Abortion Federation
The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
National Health Law Program
National Fair Housing Alliance
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Urban League
Center for Inquiry
American for Democratic Action, Inc.
People for the American Way
Alliance for Justice
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations
Carla Hills, former Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division;
former U.S Trade Representative
On Dec. 1, Obama
announced his intent to nominate Holder, a former Deputy Attorney
General, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and a former
judge for the D.C. Superior Court appointed by President Reagan.
Leahy has scheduled the confirmation hearing for Holder’s nomination for
January 15, 2009, at 9:30 a.m. in the historic Senate Caucus Room.
Last week, Holder returned the completed bipartisan Committee
questionnaire, and provided supplemental materials on Friday. To
watch the hearing live, and to read documents related to the Holder
nomination, visit the
Senate Judiciary Committee website.
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