What Changed for Eric Holder After February?

Attorney General Eric Holder is reportedly resigning today, after six years on the job.

But just a little over six months ago, Holder caused a stir in an interview with The Hill.

In that interview and subsequent follow-ups, Holder stated that he had no plans to resign this year. What, if anything, has changed?

In a speech that same month, Holder outlined his agenda for 2014. He said that he intended to fight for restoring convicted felons’ right to vote, and against state laws mandated voter ID. His Justice Department continues waging war against voter ID laws in Nebraska and Texas, despite the Supreme Court having ruled that voter ID is constitutional, in the Indiana voter ID case.

Neither of those causes — voter ID or felon voting — has been resolved. Holder has just inserted the Justice Department into the Ferguson, MO, controversy too.

Reports state that Holder will remain on the job until a successor is confirmed. With the campaign season in full swing and the mid-terms just over a month away, a confirmation fight could scramble current trends. Democrats are expected to lose control of the Senate, which would be tasked with confirming or rejecting Holder’s replacement. Holder’s successor could become a campaign issue, putting pressure on red state Democrats.

The lame duck session of Congress, after the elections, could pick up the confirmation process. Regardless of the election outcome in November, Democrats will continue to control the Senate until January 2015, when the new Congress is sworn in. Fast-tracking the nomination for Holder’s successor could stir up another fight, even in the lame duck session. Holder’s own nomination came close on the heels of the 2008 election, and that pace caused dissension even among some Democrats.