United States President, Barack Obama, has chosen New York federal prosecutor, Loretta Lynch, to replace Eric Holder as U.S attorney general, the White House has said.
If the Senate confirms her appointment, Ms Lynch will be the first African-American woman to head the U.S Justice Department.
Mr. Holder, who resigned from the post six weeks ago, was the first African-American to serve as attorney general, the BBC reports.
The White House said Ms Lynch would be formally nominated on Saturday.
The BBC says Ms Lynch, 55, is known for her low-key personality and has stirred little controversy during her two tenures as U.S attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
“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 spokesman, Josh Earnest, said in a statement.
Her nomination comes after Republicans won control of the Senate in Tuesday’s mid-term elections.
Ms Lynch – a North Carolina native and Harvard-trained lawyer – was one of several candidates Mr. Holder had recommended to succeed him.
She has experience in both civil rights and corporate fraud cases.
Mr Holder led the justice department for six years, earning praise from President Obama who called him “the people’s lawyer.”
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