Attorney General Eric Holder, a prominent member of the Obama administration since it began, will resign his post Thursday, according to multiple news reports.
The President is expected to announce the resignation this afternoon. Holder will stay on until his successor is confirmed, a White House official said.
Holder has long signaled he plans to leave the job by the end of this year, and has had several discussions with Barack Obama about his exit.
Among those mentioned as possible successors is former White House counsel Kathyrn Ruemmler, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Other candidates being considered by the White House are Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, along with Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.
The first African American attorney general, Holder is one of a few remaining cabinet members whose tenures date back to Obama’s inauguration.
Holder has seen his share of big victories while heading the Department of Justice, along with more than a few defeats and plenty of controversy.
His last year as A.G. has been marked by a push to strike multi-billion dollar settlements with banks over conduct leading up to the 2008 financial crisis.
Holder strove to hold Wall Street accountable for its conduct, which be believed to have caused the biggest financial disaster since the Great Depression.
Most recently, Holder has been in the public eye steering the federal government’s response to the crisis in Ferguson, Mo., following the death of Michael Brown.
Clashes with U.S. Congress over terrorism, a botched gunrunning probe called Fast and Furious, and an investigation into the IRS also marked his tenure.
Holder engaged in other battle over his plan to try September 11 terror suspects in New York, and close the prison for terror suspects in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
He lost those fights, but still insists he made the right choices, as he believes he is with current efforts to expand gay rights and defend voting rights.