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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Prosecution: Father tried to arrange assault on babysitter ... Police say mom used kids' IDs to steal cars ... Public ticket sales for Craterian shows begin today ... Prosecution: Father tried to arrange assault on babysitter ... Police say mom used kids' IDs to steal cars ... Public ticket sales for Craterian shows begin today ... Our View: Holder leaves mixed civil rights legacy Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 28, 2014 at 2:00 AM Posted Sep. 28, 2014 at 2:00 AM » Social News Attorney General Eric Holder will leave office after six years as the nation's top law enforcement official. He is the first black to hold that office and the fourth longest-serving attorney general. His boss, President Obama, praised Holder as a champion of equal justice under the law, and in many ways he was. But overall, Holder leaves a legacy that is decidedly mixed. Holder's years at the helm of the Justice Department were marked by controversy, and he drew criticism from all sides, much of it deserved. Holder and Obama denounced the use of torture against imprisoned terror suspects, but the attorney general backed up Obama's decision not to pursue charges against Bush administration officials responsible for inflicting torture. His handling of the bungled "Fast and Furious" operation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also was deservedly criticized. BATF agents launched the operation to track illegal weapons trafficking by Mexican drug cartels, but lost track of more than 1,000 guns, two of which turned up at the scene of the 2010 killing of a U.S. Border Patrol agent. Invoking executive privilege, Holder refused to release documents on the operation demanded by congressional Republicans, leading Congress to hold him in contempt. Holder supported the Obama administration's use of drones to kill suspected terrorists — even U.S. citizens — on foreign soil without trial or evidence they were in the process of launching a terrorist attack. Holder's Justice Department took steps to force journalists to reveal confidential sources in criminal trials, and argued journalists do not have the right to protect those sources under the First Amendment. His staff pursued reporters' emails and phone records to try to identify the source of a leak. He also defended the administration's surveillance of U.S. citizens in the name of national security, and justified unprecedented secrecy by the administration on the same grounds At the same time, Holder pushed for recognition of same-sex marriage, backed reform of clearly unfair sentencing laws and challenged politically motivated voting restrictions. Most recently, he advocated changing the federal classification of marijuana among the most dangerous drugs, and called for decriminalizing pot at the federal level, a long-overdue change. In the end, the attorney general is essentially the president's lawyer, with no power to compel the president to do anything. Yet he has been on the inside as Obama failed to live up to his pledge to run the most transparent administration in history, something that has been a tremendous disappointment even to the president's staunchest supporters. Republicans gleeful over Holder's departure have vowed a lengthy confirmation battle over whoever Obama names to succeed him. They are likely banking on delaying that confirmation in hopes of taking control of the Senate in the November election and then being able to block any nominee Obama chooses. But Holder is staying on the job until a successor is confirmed, so the longer Republicans delay, the longer they will have Holder at the helm of the Justice Department. Perhaps they think he's a liability for Obama. Perhaps he is. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 28, 2014 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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