Yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that he will be stepping down from his position in which he served exceptionally.
“When the history of his tenure is written, Eric Holder will ultimately be recognized as one of the finest Attorneys General this country has ever known. In the field of civil rights there are few who could even claim to rival this Attorney General’s dedication, strategic focus and commitment,” said Sherrilyn Ifill.
Below is a somewhat comprehensive collection of LDF media hits on Eric Holder’s resignation. Sherrilyn Ifill was quoted twice in The New York Times, as well as in Politico, MSNBC.com, Christian Science Monitor, and National Law Journal. She was on the Rachel Maddow Show, The Joy Reid Report, and Al Sharpton’s MSNBC show. Additionally, Leslie Proll was quoted in the LA Times and appeared on Democracy Now! this morning.
- TouchVision Telescan: Sherrilyn Ifill on “Eric Holder’s Legacy“
- CBS News/Radio with Barry Bagnato: Janai Nelson on Eric Holders Resignation
Radio Spot #1 Radio Spot #2
- Washington Post: “Holder departure clouds fate of civil rights cases“
“At this critical time for America, we can’t afford to lose momentum on civil rights,” said Leslie Proll, director of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s Washington Office
- New York Times: “Eric Holder Resigns, Setting Up Fight Over Successor”
Sherrilyn A. Ifill, the president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc., said of Mr. Holder, “In the field of civil rights, there are few who could even claim to rival this attorney general’s dedication, strategic focus and commitment.”
- New York Times: “A Champion of Civil Rights, if Not of Civil Liberties, Just Like His Hero”
Sherrilyn Ifill, the president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said that in that area, Mr. Holder’s legacy was secure. “On the issue of civil rights, he has been the most engaged and extraordinary attorney general,” she said.
- Politico: “Eric Holder’s real legacy”
“In the field of civil rights there are few who could even claim to rival this Attorney General’s dedication, strategic focus and commitment,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
- Los Angeles Times: “Despite slow, troubled start, Holder leaves mark at Justice Department“
“When the history books are written he will absolutely go down as one of the best attorney generals when it comes to civil rights, up there next to [Robert] Kennedy,” said Leslie Proll, director of the Washington office of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. “It was not only his policies but his talking about race that was important,” Proll said.
- Christian Science Monitor: “For Eric Holder, a broad legacy ranging from race to terror“
“When Attorney General Holder took the helm of the Department of Justice in 2009, he vowed to make the civil rights division the department’s ‘crown jewel,’ and he has more than fulfilled that mission,” Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said in a statement.
“When the history of his tenure is written, Eric Holder will ultimately be recognized as one of the finest attorneys general this country has ever known,” she said.
- National Law Journal: “Eric Holder to Announce Resignation, Officials Say”
“He could do anything. He could lead a foundation. He could lead a think tank,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “He could lead boards of various organizations. He could take some time off and write an amazing book.”
Ifill declined to comment whether she has discussed with Holder a position at the Legal Defense Fund, one of the most prominent civil rights litigation groups in the country. Holder this year delivered the keynote address at the LDF’s 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. When she last spoke with Holder, 10 days ago, Ifill said he didn’t indicate he had planned his resignation.
- MSNBC.com: “America’s first black attorney general: Eric Holder’s legacy”
“When the history of his tenure is written, Eric Holder will ultimately be recognized as one of the finest attorneys general this country has ever known,” Sherrilyn A. Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund said shortly after news of Holder’s resignation was announced. “In the field of civil rights there are few who could even claim to rival this attorney general’s dedication, strategic focus and commitment.”
Ifill called Holder’s vision for the civil rights division of the Department of Justice “one of restoration and transformation, from his leadership on voting rights, to legal services for the poor, to criminal justice reforms and, in recent weeks, to his forceful response to the tragic events in Ferguson.”
- MSNBC’s Politics Nation with Al Sharpton:
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton and Sherrilyn Ifill discuss the legacy of Attorney General Eric Holder, who has resigned from his post.
- Colorlines: “Eric Holder’s Racial Justice Legacy“
“The ‘Smart on Crime’ initiatives he announced last year are a quintessential example of Attorney General Holder’s vision and boldness,” says NAACP LDF president Sherrilyn Ifill.
- Democracy Now: “Eric Holder’s Complex Legacy: Voting Rights Advocate, Enemy of Press Freedom, Friend of Wall Street“
- MSNBC’s The Reid Report
With news of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s resignation, NBC’s Perry Bacon Jr., The Huffington Post’s Ryan Reilly, and the NAACP’s Sherrilyn Ifill look at the “sense of momentum” that Holder created around civil rights, why some call him a “superstar,” and who might replace him.
- Eslkevin’s Blog: “Leslie Proll, Washington director of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, speaks out on behalf of Eric Holder’s Records on some Civil Rights and Voting Rights“
