The Next Attorney General

Today, the Senate confirmed Loretta Lynch as the next U.S. Attorney General, by a vote of 56 to 43. This afternoon's vote followed a five-month delay since her nomination by the President, the third-longest gap between nomination and confirmation in Attorney General history. Lynch's confirmation had been stalled in the Senate by a group of legislators who expressed concern for her support of President Obama's executive action on immigration law.

When Ms. Lynch assumes the role of U.S. Attorney General at her swearing-in ceremony next week, she will be the 83rd person to helm the U.S. Department of Justice, and the first African-American woman ever to hold the office. (The next Attorney General also has local roots for Duke Law readers, having been born in Greensboro and raised in Durham. North Carolina Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr both stated in February that they would oppose her nomination, and voted no on her confirmation today.)

To learn more about Attorneys General in American history, check out historical biographies of the 82 prior AGs at the Department of Justice website, or Ask a Librarian.