Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary Arne Duncan today announced updated guidance to assist public elementary and secondary schools to ensure enrollment processes are consistent with the law and fulfill their obligation to provide all children – no matter their background – equal access to an education.

Especially as we approach the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education, in which Chief Justice Earl Warren called education “a right which must be made available to all on equal terms,” it is imperative that we do everything in our power to end policies or practices that deny this right to those who are constitutionally entitled to it.

Within the Department, we have moved forward with our groundbreaking Diversity Management Initiative to promote diversity within our own ranks. Through our close partnership with the Federal Asian Pacific American Council, we have helped to create considerable new opportunities for our employees to thrive – both personally and professionally. And thanks to the tireless efforts of employee organizations like DOJ Pan Asia and others, we continue to encourage every member of the DOJ family to grow, to learn, and to advance in their lives and careers.

Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will hold a press conference to announce a major law enforcement action to protect military servicemembers from unfair lending practices today, Tuesday, May 13, 2014, at 1:15 p.m. EDT.

"By requiring Sallie Mae to compensate its victims, we are sending a clear message to all lenders and servicers who would deprive our servicemembers of the basic benefits and protections to which they are entitled: this type of conduct is more than just inappropriate; it is inexcusable. And it will not be tolerated."

As difficult as times may be – and as wrenching as every loss we mark this evening – we affirm this week that our work must go on. Each of us is called to serve, to protect, and to help forge a society worthy of the passion, the dedication, and the sacrifices made by each of our fallen heroes. To create not merely a monument to their stories, but a living memorial. And to build a country dedicated to preserving and perpetuating their memories by reaching for the better and brighter future that all of our citizens deserve.

“For 27 years, Gina Talamona has been a tremendous asset to the Department of Justice and an exceptionally dedicated public servant. She’s been the backbone of our dedicated Office of Public Affairs team, providing leadership and sound guidance to Attorneys General and other leaders from administrations of both parties."

Speaking in a video message posted on the Justice Department’s website, Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday called for an end to the excessive use of solitary confinement for youth that suffer from mental illness. Attorney General Holder said the practices can have lasting, substantial effects on young people that could result in self-harm or, in some cases, even suicide.

Since 1940, LDF has performed critical work to rally Americans from all backgrounds to the unifying cause of justice – standing on the front lines of our fight to guarantee security, advance opportunity, and ensure equal treatment under law.

Attorney General Eric Holder, Deputy Attorney General James Cole, Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division Kathryn Keneally and IRS Commissioner John Koskinen will hold a press conference to announce a major law enforcement action.

Attorney General Eric Holder issued the following statement today in response to a federal jury in Manhattan’s unanimously reaching a guilty verdict against Abu Hamza al-Masri.

When a foreign nation uses military or intelligence resources and tools against an American executive or corporation to obtain trade secrets or sensitive business information for the benefit of its state-owned companies, we must say, ‘enough is enough.’

Progress can be achingly slow – but in this country, as a courtroom full of men and women was reminded six decades ago, our destiny is of our own design.

"This case shows that no financial institution, no matter its size or global reach, is above the law. When the Department of Justice conducts investigations, we will always follow the law and the facts wherever they lead."

Today, we pay tribute to this remarkable leader. We thank her for bearing these burdens, and leading these efforts, with grace and with poise.

Following a collaborative and thorough review, Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday announced a new policy for the Department of Justice that creates a presumption that statements made by individuals in federal custody, following arrest but prior to their first appearance in court, will be electronically recorded. Attorney General Holder said that the new policy will help to ensure accountability and promote public confidence in the institutions and processes that guide the nation’s law enforcement efforts.

United States Army soldier Albert Kelly III of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison for his role in stealing fuel at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Salerno in Afghanistan.

Attorney General Holder issued this statement on the passing of Maya Angelou.

Eric Esposito was sentenced today to serve 27 months in prison for conducting an illegal gambling business on behalf of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Family.

Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for Western District of Pennsylvania David Hickton, FBI Executive Associate Director Robert Anderson and Deputy Under Secretary Dr. Phyllis Schneck of the Department of Homeland Security will hold a news conference to announce criminal charges and two global cyber fraud disruptions.

Former Specialist Christopher Renfro, 26, of Houston, Texas pleaded guilty today to two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Previously, on March 24, 2014, Renfro pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of bribery in connection with the same scheme.

"And as I look around this crowd – of colleagues, friends, and distinguished tribal leaders – despite the wrongs and injustices of our troubled past and the obstacles that undoubtedly lie ahead, I can’t help but feel confident in our ability to move forward together – speaking with one voice, standing as one people, and building on the legacies of those who have gone before."

"As a nation, we cannot, and we will not, simply stand by as the voices of Native Americans are shut out of the democratic process. I am personally committed to working with tribal authorities – and with Congress – to confront disparities and end misguided voting practices once and for all.”

Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels, U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Michael Cotter, Montana Attorney General Tim Fox, Missoula County Attorney Fred Van Valkenburg and Missoula County Commissioner Bill Carey will hold a press conference TOMORROW, TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. EDT (11:00 a.m. MDT), to announce negotiated agreements regarding the handling of sexual assault cases

Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels and U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Michael Cotter will hold a press call TOMORROW, TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2014 at 1:45 p.m. EDT (11:45 a.m. MDT), for reporters who are unable to attend in person the 1:00 p.m. EDT (11:00 a.m. MDT), press conference announcing negotiated agreements regarding the handling of sexual assault cases

When I think about what it means to be an engaged citizen and a role model, I think of – and am thankful for – my own wonderful father, whom I loved, admired and miss every day.

Today, we have the privilege of hearing from two of the tenacious legal advocates who made last year’s landmark Supreme Court decision possible. First, it’s my pleasure to hand things over to our keynote speaker, Roberta Kaplan – who argued the Defense of Marriage Act challenge on behalf of Edith Windsor.

And it’s not enough until the circle of opportunity and equality is so wide – and so accessible – that the American Dream is available to everyone with the heart to dream it.

The Advisory Committee of the Attorney General’s Task Force on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence convenes its final public hearing in Anchorage, Alaska, today and tomorrow

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement Friday on the passing of actress Ruby Dee

Ultimately, as your history reminds us, these efforts will be successful only if we take responsibility not just for ourselves, but for our families, our neighbors, our friends, and our fellow citizens. Among them are the future “heroes for hope” that this city, this state, and this country desperately need.

Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement Tuesday regarding the arrest of Ahmed Abu Khatallah for his role in the attack on the U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya

You know as well as anyone that the challenges we face are daunting. You’ve shown us that, as we seek to address the problem of substance abuse, it makes sense to focus on the most dangerous types of drugs. And right now, few substances are more lethal than prescription opioids and heroin.

Following the Supreme Court’s historic decision striking down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday issued a formal report on the yearlong effort by the Justice Department and other federal agencies to implement the decision smoothly across the entire government

Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday said that the Justice Department will continue to investigate financial institutions that knowingly facilitate consumer scams, or that willfully look the other way in processing such fraudulent transactions. He acknowledged that multiple investigations were ongoing in this area, and said he expected several of those cases to be resolved in the coming months

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the Obama administration, as part of successfully concluding negotiations on the E.U.-U.S. Data Protection and Privacy Agreement (DPPA), would seek to work with Congress to enact legislation that would provide E.U. citizens with the right to seek redress in U.S. courts if personal data shared with U.S. authorities by their home countries for law enforcement purposes under the proposed agreement is subsequently intentionally or willfully disclosed, to the same extent that U.S. citizens could seek judicial redress in U.S. courts for such disclosures of their own law enforcement information under the Privacy Act

On the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that struck down a key part of the Voting Rights Act, Attorney General Eric Holder pledged Wednesday that the Justice Department would remain aggressive in using Section 2 of the law—which was left intact by the Court’s decision—to guard against unjust voting restrictions

Army Soldier Naeem Williams, 34, will receive a life sentence for murdering his five-year-old daughter, Talia Williams, after a federal jury in Honolulu, Hawaii, reported today it was unable to reach a unanimous decision on whether to impose the death penalty

"These groundbreaking efforts [Smart on Crime, Federal Interagency Reentry Council] are enabling us to tear down unnecessary barriers to opportunity and independence – while building up programs and policies that enable returning individuals to successfully reintegrate into their communities."

Today, the Department of Justice submitted to the United States District Court a criminal information against BNP Paribas, one of the largest banks in the world, for conspiring with other entities to deliberately and repeatedly violate longstanding U.S. sanctions against Sudan, Cuba, and Iran.

In a speech Tuesday, Attorney General Eric Holder called Syria "a cradle of violent extremism" and urged multilateral law enforcement action to confront the security threat posed by radicalized individuals from the United States and Europe traveling there

A soldier of the U.S. Army National Guard pleaded guilty today for his role in a wide-ranging corruption scheme involving fraudulent recruiting bonuses from the Army National Guard Bureau

Today, leaders in the fight against elder abuse announced a framework for tackling the highest priority challenges to elder abuse prevention and prosecution, and called on all Americans to take a stand against the serious societal problem of elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation

Attorney General Eric Holder will deliver the keynote address at the Department of Justice’s 50th anniversary celebration of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Deputy Attorney General James Cole, Associate Attorney General Tony West, Ambassador Andrew Young and Howard University Interim President Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick will also deliver remarks at the event co-hosted by Howard University, on TUESDAY, JULY 15, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. EDT, to honor the civil rights movement and celebrate the groundbreaking act

"Citi is not the first financial institution to be held accountable by this Justice Department, and it will certainly not be the last. In the investigations that remain open, we will continue to move forward – guided by the facts and the law – to achieve justice for those affected by the financial crisis."

"We must recommit ourselves to the legacies of visionary leaders and courageous citizens who made the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and the creation of this agency, possible. And we must resolve to keep moving forward together – as one nation and one people – driven by the needs that remain unfulfilled, determined to transcend the barriers that still divide us, and dedicated to the enduring promise of equal justice under law."

That, at its core, is what defines us as Americans: a people born of revolution and tested by civil war. A nation founded on equality but built by those in chains. A country first imagined, centuries ago, by imperfect people driven by a near-perfect vision – a vision conceived by patriots who dared to reach beyond themselves and defended later by activists who fought for equal justice – and who challenge us, even today, to make this promise real.

Following his recent visit to Chicago where he participated in a roundtable discussion with Mayor Emanuel on recent reductions in youth violence, Attorney General Eric Holder today announced plans to send seven additional Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), agents to the field division office in Chicago

Attorney General Eric Holder today released the following statement regarding the U.S. Sentencing Commission vote approving retroactivity of sentence reductions for drug offenses

I am honored to join you in this pursuit. I congratulate you, once again, on this extraordinary occasion. And I thank you for allowing me to share it with you.