Attorney General Eric Holder is spending his remaining time in office as an activist for civil rights and social justice issues , ranging from gay rights to changing sentencing laws for non-violent crimes . If all goes as planned , it could help change his legacy . The key mile-marker in Holder 's five-year tenure is President Barack Obama 's February 2011 decision -- with Holder 's recommendation -- to quit legally defending the Clinton-era Defense of Marriage Act . The law required the federal government to deny recognition of same-sex marriages . That decision , which came at a time when the President said he was still `` evolving '' on whether to support such marriages , eventually led to the Supreme Court 's ruling last year that overturned the law . And it led to Holder 's announcement in recent weeks to extend spousal benefits to same-sex married couples in all federal legal matters . Is same-sex marriage no longer a political issue ? For Holder , 63 , it 's a way to carve out a modern civil rights legacy . In discussing his gay-rights efforts , he often mentions his sister-in-law , who in 1963 made history as one of the two black students who integrated the University of Alabama under federal armed guard . A portrait of a Justice Department prosecutor who stood watch on the university steps that day hangs in Holder 's personal office in a fifth-floor corner of the Justice Department headquarters named for Robert F. Kennedy . Holder and his supporters have eagerly embraced the RFK legacy as a comparison . `` When you look at his entire record , Eric Holder will have done more to expand justice in the United States than any attorney general since Bobby Kennedy , '' says Matthew Miller , a former aide to Holder who remains close to the attorney general . It 's not the way his critics have portrayed him , particularly during some of the rocky periods of his tenure . For a time , he was involved in fights with Republicans and White House rivals over a variety of national security issues . And he survived a bruising battle with House Republicans over the `` Fast and Furious '' gun trafficking controversy , including becoming the first sitting Cabinet member to be held in contempt of Congress . `` I 've had some days that have been better than others , '' Holder told CNN in a November interview . But added that now , `` There 's the ability to focus on issues now that really matter to me . '' Among those issues is working to change sentencing guidelines to give prosecutors more flexibility in certain non-violent criminal cases , pushing for rehabilitation instead of warehousing of prisoners , and getting rid of the disparity in the way the justice system deals with defendants charged in cocaine and crack cocaine crimes . Holder also recently made a public push for states to more quickly restore voting rights to felons after they 've completed their sentences and probation . He is joined in that effort by Sen. Rand Paul and other conservatives who 've similarly view it in line with their views on expanded individual rights . Rand Paul fights for felon voting rights . Following Holder 's plea , Alabama 's Republican governor said he could support such an idea , and a modified proposal in Paul 's home state of Kentucky has begun moving through the legislature . But Holder 's moves to use administrative memos to make effective changes before Congress passes new laws have also generated criticism . Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey told CNN 's Jake Tapper in an August interview that `` I generally agree with the goal of getting rid of mandatory minimums . ... But the way to do that is to pass a law , not to say you 're going to disregard the law . '' Sen. Charles Grassley similarly has criticized Holder and the Obama administration for taking action without waiting for Congress . But the department 's decision to not defend the federal ban on same-sex marriage has since become emulated in states , including Virginia and Oregon . Those moves could propel the issue back to the Supreme Court in the next two years . Holder 's most aggressive moves have come in recent weeks with an aggressive interpretation of last year 's Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage . After much internal debate , Holder decided the department would give full equal treatment to same-sex married couples , going so far as extending the right to refuse to provide incriminating testimony against a spouse , a bedrock right for married couples . Earlier this month , Holder basked in applause in a New York City hotel ballroom where he announced the department 's latest decision on same-same marriage legal rights . The Human Rights Campaign , which held the event , praised him , by saying the decision `` cements his place in history alongside Robert F. Kennedy , another attorney general who crusaded for civil rights . ''
Attorney general aggressively pushing civil rights and social justice issues . The move could help change his legacy as Obama 's top law enforcement official . Comment: