Gay Man Tapped To Lead Justice Department Division

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced that he has named Benjamin C. Mizer as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. With this appointment, Mizer is now the second most senior gay official at the Justice Department.

"Ben Mizer's unassailable integrity, sound judgment and steadfast commitment to the mission of this department are just a few of the reasons he's been chosen to serve as the new Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division--a critical and demanding post, and one in which he will undoubtedly thrive," said Attorney General Holder.

"Ben's work here in Washington and as Solicitor General for the state of Ohio has put him in some of the most challenging and demanding positions a lawyer can encounter. But in every instance, Ben has repeatedly demonstrated that he is both a gifted lawyer and a capable leader. I am confident that his stewardship of the Civil Division will build on the exceptional record he has already established--and reflect the high ideals that have animated him from the very beginning of his career. I congratulate Ben once again on his new role, and I look forward to all that he will achieve as he works to move this department, and this nation, toward an even brighter future."

Mizer had been a senior advisor to Attorney General Holder on constitutional law, national security, civil rights, civil litigation, antitrust law, and the Supreme Court.

The next big change in the Department of Justice is the expected conritmation by the Senate of Loretta Lynch as attorney general. Holder announced he'd be stepping down after a six-year tenure, the third-longest by an attorney general.