--- title: Loretta Lynch Nominated as Obama's Attorney General description: The federal prosecutor from New York would be the first African-American woman to serve in the Cabinet position now held by Eric Holder canonical: https://time.com/3572459/obamas-next-attorney-general-loretta-lynch/ author: Alex Rogers article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-07T18:47:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-14T00:29:34.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Loretta Lynch Nominated as Obama's Attorney General og:description: The federal prosecutor from New York would be the first African-American woman to serve in the Cabinet position now held by Eric Holder og:url: https://time.com/3572459/obamas-next-attorney-general-loretta-lynch/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta6feafb34b7ccffe/698767bae20a871cdfa833ce/loretta-lynch.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Justice Department Officials Announce Charges Against HSBC og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Loretta Lynch Nominated as Obama's Attorney General twitter:description: The federal prosecutor from New York would be the first African-American woman to serve in the Cabinet position now held by Eric Holder twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta6feafb34b7ccffe/698767bae20a871cdfa833ce/loretta-lynch.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 00:54 video:published: 2014-11-08 section: politics topics: Attorney General nomination, Loretta Lynch, Justice Department, federal prosecution, White House announcements, police misconduct prosecution, Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's Office, Obama administration genre: news, breaking news tones: informative, measured, factual emotions: curiosity (medium), anticipation (low), surprise (low) sentiment: neutral audience: general news readers, political observers, legal professionals, U.S. voters people: Barack Obama, Loretta Lynch organizations: White House, U.S. Justice Department, New York Times, U.S. Attorneys Office content_suitability: crime [00:42-00:47] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Obama Nominates Loretta Lynch as Attorney General > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=8997bd92-0ea0-4eb8-9b4f-226a73a8319e&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Obama To Nominate Loretta Lynch As Attorney General [Watch (HLS stream): Obama To Nominate Loretta Lynch As Attorney General](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/B6XmlJoT.m3u8) (0:54)  _Published 2014-11-08. If chosen, the New York federal prosecutor would become the first black woman to head the U.S. Justice Department._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The White House confirmed President Obama plans to nominate Loretta Lynch, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, as his next Attorney General. The video notes her strong independent prosecutorial record and that she would be the first Black woman to lead the Justice Department. It explains she has no direct ties to Obama, which could make her harder for his critics to target. Analysts describe the pick as surprising given her limited public profile, and the video recalls her role in a prosecution of police officers accused of sodomizing a Haitian immigrant. ## Key points - The White House confirmed President Obama plans to nominate Loretta Lynch as his next Attorney General. (00:00) - A White House press release calls Lynch a strong independent prosecutor who has twice led one of the most important U.S. Attorneys offices in the country. (00:05) - Lynch is currently the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn. (00:13) - If confirmed, Lynch would be the first Black woman to head the Justice Department. (00:16) - According to the New York Times, Lynch does not have direct ties to President Obama, which can make her a harder target for his critics. (00:21) - Some analysts call Lynch a surprising pick because she is not particularly well known in the United States or in New York. (00:27) - Lynch was part of the team that successfully prosecuted police officers said to have sodomized a Haitian immigrant. (00:42) - The announcement will be held Saturday in the White House's Roosevelt Room. (00:50) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:21] White House confirms Lynch nomination plans. The White House confirms Obama's plan to nominate Lynch and outlines her prosecutorial record and historic significance. - [00:21 to 00:54] Analysts react to surprising pick. Analysts describe Lynch as a surprising, little-known choice, and the video recalls her role in a police misconduct prosecution, with the announcement set for Saturday. ## Key quotes - [00:05] White House press release: "Ms. Lynch is a strong independent prosecutor who has twice led one of the most important U. S. Attorneys office in the country." - [00:27] analysts: "Still some analysts are calling Lynch a surprising pick since she is not particularly well known." - [00:34] unidentified speaker: "So I guess that's why a job of this magnitude it, it, it frankly is surprising." ## Questions this video answers - Who is President Obama planning to nominate as Attorney General? [00:00] - What is Loretta Lynch's current position? [00:13] - Why would Lynch be a harder target for Obama's critics? [00:21] - Why do some analysts consider Lynch a surprising pick? [00:27] - What case is Lynch remembered for? [00:42] - Where and when will the nomination announcement be held? [00:50] ## Content suitability - crime [00:42-00:47]: Brief reference to police officers accused of sodomizing a Haitian immigrant, described as a prosecuted case. by [Alex Rogers](https://time.com/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Updated: Dec 14, 2023 12:29 AM UTCPublished: Nov 7, 2014 6:47 PM UTC Obama Nominates Loretta Lynch for Attorney General by [Alex Rogers](https://time.com/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Updated: Dec 14, 2023 12:29 AM UTCPublished: Nov 7, 2014 6:47 PM UTC President Obama nominated the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York to replace outgoing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Saturday. Obama said it is “hard to be more qualified for this job than Loretta \[Lynch\].” He described her as tough, fair and independent, and he also said Lynch is the only lawyer in the country who prosecutes terrorists and drug lords and “still has a reputation for being a charming people person.” Lynch’s name rose in the aftermath of broad Republican victories in this week’s midterm elections, results that will likely complicate the confirmation process for the nation’s top law-enforcement position. A career prosecutor, Lynch is a less contentious pick than other rumored prospects, like Labor Secretary Tom Perez, who was confirmed to his current post on a party-line vote last year. The Senate unanimously confirmed Lynch in 2010 for her current post. “Ms. Lynch is a strong, independent prosecutor who has twice led one of the most important U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the country,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement Friday. Despite her easy nomination process for the prosecutor position, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, the key Republican on the committee that will oversee the nomination process, said Lynch should expect a “fair, but thorough, vetting” and noted that “U.S. Attorneys are rarely elevated directly to this position.” “I’m hopeful that her tenure, if confirmed, will restore confidence in the Attorney General as a politically independent voice for the American people,” he said. New York Democrat Chuck Schumer, who recommended Lynch for her current prosecutor position, described her as “a consummate professional” with a “first-rate legal mind.” “I was proud to recommend her to be the U.S. Attorney for my home community of the Eastern District of New York, and I will be prouder still to champion what must be her swift confirmation in the Senate,” he said. Obama will reportedly extend an olive branch to the incoming Republican-controlled Senate by allowing them to vote on the Attorney General choice instead of jamming the upper chamber this winter. Lynch will need 51 votes to be confirmed. The announcement came alongside news of a number of other changes to the Obama Administration for its final two years. If confirmed, Lynch will be the first African-American female attorney general. _Read next:_ [_Who Is Loretta Lynch?_](http://time.com/3572553/who-is-loretta-lynch/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ## Transcript [00:00] The White House confirmed Friday evening President [00:02] Obama plans to nominate Loretta Lynch as his next [00:05] Attorney General. A White House press release says Ms. [00:08] Lynch is a strong independent prosecutor who has twice [00:11] led one of the most important U. S. Attorneys office in the [00:13] country. Lynch is currently the top federal prosecutor in [00:16] Brooklyn and will be the first black woman to head the [00:19] Justice Department. Lynch as the New York Times points [00:21] out does not have direct ties to President Obama. Which [00:24] can make her a harder target for President Obama's critics. [00:27] Still some analysts are calling Lynch a surprising pick since [00:30] she is not particularly well known. Not in the United States [00:34] and not even in New York. So I guess that's why a [00:38] job of this magnitude it, it, it frankly is surprising. But [00:42] those that do know Lynch might remember her for being on [00:44] the team that successfully prosecuted the police officers. [00:47] Said to have sodomized a Haitian immigrant. 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