Holder Lauds New US Attorney In New Orleans Visit

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Attorney General Eric Holder has visited New Orleans for the ceremonial swearing-in of the region's new top federal prosecutor.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite Jr. was officially sworn in when he started the job in September, but a crowd of elected officials, judges and attorneys watched him take the oath of office Thursday at a New Orleans school.

Holder says the New Orleans native is "uniquely qualified" to lead the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Polite says he plans to heed Holder's advice to get out from behind a desk as frequently as possible to "advocate for justice" in the community.

Polite replaces Jim Letten, who resigned in December 2012 after two of his top deputies acknowledged posting anonymous comments about cases on a newspaper's website.