President Obama has nominated a replacement for Eric Holder, and he has selected Loretta Lynch. Ms. Lynch is a two-time United States attorney for ?the eastern part of New York. At 55, Lynch could become the nation’s first female black attorney general.
Loretta Lynch has a strong track record which includes prosecuting mobsters and terrorists. ?Lynch is a native of my home state of North Carolina and has been involved in some pretty serious and high profile cases. Specifically, she was a supervisor for the legal team that indicted Republican Congressman Michael Grimm.
Lynch hopes to carry on the legacy of Eric Holder and Obama knows that she will be a true advocate for equal justice. The Senate as always, will be called upon to confirm this appointment. Obama hopes this chamber confirms Ms. Lynch “without delay.”?
Loretta Lynch becoming the nation’s first ever female black attorney general would be just another huge stepping stone for our country and its trajectory towards racial and gender/sex equality. I hope the Senate does not embarrass themselves?by treating Ms. Lynch?in the negative ways that they have some recent nominations like Sonia Sotomayor. The racially insensitive and ignorant rhetoric displayed by some senators during her confirmation hearings were disgraceful. So much of the discussion during those hearings centered around how Sotomayor could possibly be a fair judge considering her bias; you know, her proclivities because she is a minority woman.
It seems to so many senators, especially Republican ones, that minorities who are partaking in the justice arena cannot possibly be as impartial as their white male counterparts. This way of thinking illustrates the?normativity of whiteness and male-ness. White males are automatically neutral and the most fair when it comes to the law because their titles are normal and mainstream. If minorities are in the legal field they must be bias because being biased towards whiteness because of one’s race, for example, does not appear to exist. ?In other words, I have not heard senators question white men during confirmation hearings, squabbling over whether they will be biased towards white men or not.
Lynch should be judged by her intelligence and record as a prosecutor and legal mind. However,?with a new Republican-led Senate, one can only pray that Lynch is treated with dignity and swiftly confirmed.
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