Eric Holder resigns

A White House official announced this morning that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, the first African-American to hold the post, is resigning.

President Barack Obama appointed Holder to head the Justice Department six years ago. His tenure at the post is the fourth-longest in the department’s history.

Holder, 63, has been known for his emphasis on civil rights, most recently traveling to Ferguson, Mo., to launch an investigation into police actions against protestors following the shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. Holder also involved the federal government in the Trayvon Martin case in Florida, where a jury eventually acquitted George Zimmerman of murder in Martin’s death. Like Brown, Martin was African-American and unarmed.

On his watch, the Justice Department also has taken an active role in promoting same-sex marriage. Holder first declared the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and refused to defend it in court. And earlier this year, he announced during a speech at a gala for a gay-rights group that same-sex couples who married in states that recognize their unions will be given “full and equal recognition” in federal courts in all states. Holder described gay marriage as the “defining civil rights issue of our time.”

Before taking on marriage, Holder weathered criticism for several other controversial decisions, including a plan to try terrorism suspects in New York City. He eventually gave that up. He also successfully faced down Republican calls for his resignation over the “Fast and Furious” gunrunning program, which delivered weapons to Mexican drug cartels. One of those weapons eventually was used to kill a federal agent.

Holder plans to stay on the job until the president appoints his replacement. Obama will make the official resignation announcement later today.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.