Loretta Lynch confirmed as US attorney general

Washington, April 24
The US Senate voted 56-43 on Thursday to confirm veteran federal prosecutor Loretta Lynch as attorney general, succeeding Eric Holder.

Ten Republicans joined Democrats in voting for confirmation, while Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is seeking the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, abstained.

Lynch, currently the US attorney in Brooklyn, New York, will be the first African-American woman attorney general in the country's history.

The 55-year-old prosecutor waited five months to be confirmed, as Senate Republicans held up the vote in a battle with Democrats over an anti-abortion provision GOP lawmakers wanted to add to legislation on human trafficking.

But Senate leaders resolved that dispute earlier this week, paving the way for votes on the trafficking bill and Lynch's nomination.

Holder, the first African-American to lead the Department of Justice, announced his resignation in September, but said he would remain on the job until a successor was confirmed by the Senate.