Atty. Gen. Eric Holder reinvigorated to pursue his goals

Dogged by controversy and seemingly unfocused for most of his tenure, Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. is surprising both supporters and critics with an ambitious liberal agenda in Obama's second term.

By Timothy M. Phelps
February 15, 2014, 6:11 p.m.

WASHINGTON —Eric H. Holder Jr, sounds like a man who suddenly found a second wind.

During his first four years as America's top law enforcement officer, Holder's tenure at the Justice Department seemed so unfocused and controversy-prone that even Democrats began to question what the nation's first African American attorney general had accomplished, and whether he had the passion to stick it out.

But since President Obama's reelection, the 63-year-old Holder has tackled his responsibilities with newfound energy and determination, surprising critics and supporters alike by striking out on a broad, ambitious and unapologetically liberal agenda.

He moved to shorten prison sentences of nonviolent criminals, went after some of the nation's largest banks for fraud, sued two states to block laws he said would make voting more difficult for minorities, and signaled plans to bar federal agents from considering religion, national origin, gender or sexual orientation in investigations.

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http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-holder-profile-20140216,0,4234647,full.story#axzz2tVWyFGja