An under-the-radar federal prosecutor in New York City has emerged as a contender to replace outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder.
If chosen, U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch would become the first black woman to head the Justice Department.
On a visit to Brooklyn last week, Holder called the 55-year-old Harvard Law School graduate one of the country's top federal prosecutors, but stopped short of endorsing her as his successor.
Lynch began her career as a federal prosecutor in 1990. She was on the trial team in the notorious Abner Louima police brutality case in 1999.
She originally served as U.S. attorney from 1999 to 2001 before entering private practice. She returned to the post in 2010.
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