[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 20 (Monday, February 2, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1236-S1237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HOLDER NOMINATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, in the long and lurching march toward 
equality that in no small manner defines our progress as a nation, this 
moment in history will be remembered as a golden age. The election of 
Barack Obama fulfills a dream that seemed unimaginable a generation 
ago, or even a few years ago. A child born today will have every reason 
to believe the old adage that in America any boy or girl can grow up to 
be President.
  To join him in governing our country, President Obama has chosen a 
brilliant, honorable, and exceptionally well qualified individual to 
serve as Attorney General of the United States. With historic 
challenges facing the Department of Justice, I urge all my colleagues 
to support the nomination of Eric Holder.
  What began as a one-man, part-time office to represent the United 
States in Supreme Court trials, the Attorney General now has been 
transformed over the years to be the lead agency to fight terrorism, 
prosecute crime, and uphold the fundamental rights of every citizen.
  In 1957, with the civil rights movement growing and conflicts 
bubbling in all regions of our country, the Civil Rights Division of 
the Department of Justice was established. When Congress passed the 
Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and other 
legislation prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, 
handicap, religion, or national origin, it was the Civil Rights 
Division that ensured they would be enforced; that is, the laws passed 
would be enforced.
  In the fall of 1962, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy ordered U.S. 
Marshals to stand guard at the University of Mississippi so that James 
Meredith, the first African American accepted for admission, could 
enroll and attend classes peacefully amidst a violent mob of thousands.
  In the summer of 1963, the Justice Department, led by Deputy Attorney 
General Nicholas Katzenbach, confronted Governor George Wallace as he 
physically blocked the admission of two African-American students to 
the University of Alabama. It took the federalization of the Alabama 
National Guard to force Governor Wallace to step aside and allow those 
students to enter.
  These are only two of countless examples of the U.S. Department of 
Justice enforcing the laws of our country.
  Although the parchment of our Constitution may be a little yellow and 
the ink faded somewhat, as long as the Justice Department stands behind 
the people's demands for liberty, the spirit of our Founders will never 
recede. I have no desire to rehash the many ways the Bush 
administration politicized and degraded the Justice Department away 
from its historic mission. While we must not fail to remember that sad 
chapter in our history, I am far more interested in looking toward a 
more hopeful future.
  With President Obama in the White House and Eric Holder leading the 
Justice Department, that brighter future begins right now. The 
experience of this nominee is unquestioned. As a young lawyer, fresh 
out of Columbia Law School, one of the finest law schools in America, 
Eric Holder accepted a job at the Justice Department. He didn't want to 
see how much money he could make, he wanted to enter public service, 
and he did. The job he took at the Justice Department is now a 
department he stands ready to lead.
  At the time he worked there, as a young new lawyer, he was charged 
with the unenviable task of prosecuting corrupt public officials who 
had violated the public trust. This kind of work can be thankless and 
politically sensitive, but from a young age Eric Holder showed the 
courage to stand for the public interest no matter the personal or 
political cost.
  In 1988, Eric Holder was appointed by President Reagan to be a judge 
in the District of Columbia Superior Court. In this capacity he 
presided over countless trials involving violent crimes and murder, 
proving himself to be a fair and tough administrator of justice.
  In 1993, President Clinton chose Eric Holder as U.S. Attorney for the 
District of Columbia, where he focused on improving some of Washington, 
DC's most crime-ridden neighborhoods by locking up wrongdoers and 
involving communities in law enforcement.
  As Deputy U.S. Attorney General starting in 1997, Holder showed 
fearlessness in prosecuting crimes against children, white-collar 
crimes, and crime in general. During his tenure as Deputy Attorney 
General, Mr. Holder was also faced with the difficult decision of how 
to advise Attorney General Janet Reno on the investigation that led to 
the impeachment of President Clinton. He chose to urge the Attorney 
General to expand the investigation to ensure that all facts would come 
to light. He was harshly criticized by members of his own party for 
causing political trouble for the President.
  But in this decision, Eric Holder again showed the courage to uphold 
perhaps the most important principle for any Justice Department 
official: answering to the people first.

[[Page S1237]]

  There is no question that a difficult job awaits our next Attorney 
General. He must strengthen the fight against terrorism, he must do 
more to keep our streets and boardrooms safe from crime, and rebuild 
the Justice Department to be once again a guardian of the common good. 
Eric Holder has proven that he has the courage and wisdom to do justice 
to this critical job.

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