Loretta Lynch, the most qualified Attorney General in the nation

Loretta Lynch, the most qualified Attorney General in the nation

By Roger Caldwell

      As the Senate Judiciary Committee begins its confirmation hearing for Loretta Lynch, it is no accident that President Obama has picked the first Black woman Attorney General for that post. There are many members of Congress who are angry and disgusted with Eric Holder, the present Attorney General. Many felt that Mr. Holder was not responsive to their request, and his interruption of the law challenged their fundamental beliefs about race in America.

Many of the Republicans did not agree with Eric Holder’s position on the use of executive orders, voting rights, and executive action on immigration. They argued that the President and the attorney general were too friendly, and this federal agency lacked transparency and cooperation with Congress.

Sen. Chuck Grassley said, “A renewed commitment to transparency and accountability at the Justice Department will depend largely on the actions of the next leader. The tone set by a new attorney general could be a turning point in the relationship between the department and Congress.”

It is obvious that the Republicans had wanted Eric Holder to resign, but the President always had a reason and purpose why Mr. Holder was chosen for the job. Under President Obama’s direction, Mr. Holder could challenge and fight corruption and discrimination, and say things that the President could not say because of his position.

Ms. Lynch is an esteemed United States Attorney who was appointed by President Obama on May 3, 2010, for the Eastern District of New York. Her first tenure as U.S. Attorney was from 1999 to 2001 under President William Clinton, where she was a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, serving as Co-Chair of the White Collar Crime Subcommittee.

During her second tenure, she oversees all federal criminal and civil investigations and cases in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Nassau, Suffolk Counties and Long Island. Ms. Lynch has expanded the office’s leading national security practice into the area of cyber security, and has made community outreach a priority.

Ms. Lynch has worked on many high profile cases, and in the Long Island office she was the lead prosecutor in a series of trials involving allegations of public corruption. She also served as a special counsel to the Prosecutor of the ICTR, and conducted a special investigation into allegations of witness tampering and false testimony at the Tribunal.

In the majority of cases, Ms. Lynch was successful, and she is a big proponent of legal education. She graduated from Harvard Law School in 1984, where she was a member of the Legal Aid Bureau and Harvard Black Law Student Association. She is a frequent instructor for the Department of Justice in their Criminal Trial Advocacy Program, and served as an Adjunct Professor at St. John’s University School of Law.

At the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, Ms, Lynch has been extremely articulate, steady under pressure, and answering questions with the full command of the facts. Her record and experience is extremely impressive and she is a polished performer. Nothing has come up in the hearing or in her record that can be considered negative, or be questioned.

Ms. Lynch will be confirmed by the Congress, even though there is a majority of Republicans in both Houses. She is the most qualified U.S. attorney in the country, and she will have no problem enforcing the policy’s that Mr. Holder has initiated. She will continue to fight discrimination and corruption, and she understands that she is an engaged and beautiful Black woman.