The Senate on Monday confirmed Eric H. Holder Jr. as the first African-American U.S. Attorney General.

Holder, 58, has vowed to clean up the Department of Justice. Under the Bush administration, the department was plagued by numerous scandals, including the firings of several U.S. attorneys and the injection of politics into hiring decisions, both of which affected Indian Country.

The department also continues to defend the federal government in the Cobell v. Salazar lawsuit over Indian trust funds. More than 100 tribes have filed their own trust fund cases.

Holder was confirmed by a vote of 75 to 21.

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Holder Confirmed As the First Black Attorney General (The Washington Post 2/3)
Holder Is Confirmed as Attorney General (The New York Times 2/3)