On Thursday, April 23, 2015, U.S. Attorney (for the Eastern District of New York) Loretta Lynch was confirmed as the next attorney general, making her the first African-American female in the nation’s top law enforcement post. She will replace Eric Holder, who was once held in contempt of Congress. The Senate voted 56–43 in favor of Lynch, approving her nomination with the help of 10 Republican Senators Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Thad Cochran (Miss.), Susan Collins (Maine), Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Ron Johnson (Wis.), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Rob Portman (Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky). While Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was in the Senate earlier in the day, he was the only member of the chamber who did not vote. Cruz had opposed 55-year-old Lynch in a procedural vote earlier. He missed the vote due to scheduling conflicts, including a fundraiser in Dallas. The main reason why the GOP was so opposed to Lynch was due to her support for President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration. Nevertheless, it became clear a few weeks ago that Lynch had just enough GOP support to pass the Senate by a simple majority. The vote followed several months of detainment in the Senate, prompting Democrats to quarrel on the fact that Lynch was the most-delayed attorney general nominee ever. Republicans argued that it was Democrats who agreed to jump-start the confirmation process this year, instead of late 2014. After her confirmation, Obama said that as the head of the Justice Department, she will micromanage a vast portfolio of cases, including: counter-terrorism, voting rights, public corruption, white-collar crimes, judicial recommendations and policy reviews.
