He said the administration “will take the necessary steps” to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA, which bars federal recognition of gay unions and denies gay couples access to pensions, health insurance and other government benefits. The administration is also committed to getting rid of the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy applying to military personnel.

I’d love the next choice to be Cass Sunstein (a well-regarded Constitutional law scholar and creative thinker who can explain law to the masses – as well as being just a nice guy), who I’ve personally found to be very gay friendly; or Judge Diane Wood, who is likewise a champion of our rights.

And oh, we’re going to need champions. Obama’s next Supreme Court won’t change the balance – we’d just be exchanging a liberal for a liberal – but the next court appointment is likely to rule on DOMA and DADT.  We need them to start off on our side.

Both Sunstein and Wood are University of Chicago Law School tested, which means they’ve honed their arguments against the best conservative minds in the country – which would be good for us, I think.

But what do I really think is going to happen? I’d say look out for Eric Holder, the first African-American attorney general, or some African-American female. We really do need more diversity on the Court, and Obama is the man to find it.

At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday, he cited the recent killing of a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. The alleged assailant is a white supremacist.

“One has to look at the unfortunate history of our nation. There are groups that have been singled out, that have been targets of violence,” the attorney general said. “We have to face and confront that reality.”

Lawmakers debated the possible effect of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, named after a gay man killed in Wyoming in 1998. It would allow federal prosecution of violence committed because of the actual or perceived gender, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity of the victim.

For more than a decade, Democrats have sought to update the hate crimes law, which already makes it a federal crime to attack someone because of their race, creed or color.

Republicans questioned whether the change would expand federal power unnecessarily into cases already being prosecuted by state and local officials. They also asked why certain victims of violence should be singled out for particular types of protection.

“That’s part of the problem. Some are protected groups and get special protection under this law,” said Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the committee’s top Republican. “You argued your case. I’ve listened to it and I’m not persuaded.”

According to FBI data, the number of hate crimes per year is relatively unchanged in the past 10 years. In 1998, the FBI reported 7,755 hate crime incidents and 7,624 in 2007.

About half of all hate crimes are motivated by racial bias. The other two most frequent hate crimes are those motivated by religion or sexual orientation.

Holder said the statistics show hate crimes against Hispanics have increased four years in a row.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said some of the debate in her state over immigration “has been part of hate and people have been beaten up because they happen to be Hispanic, they happen to be on a street corner where somebody doesn’t want them.”

Sessions, who opposes the bill, and Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, who supports it, asked whether the law could be used to prosecute a church leader who speaks out against homosexuality, if a member of that congregation then assaults a gay person.

“This is a bill to hold people accountable for conduct, not for speech,” Holder insisted.

The Traditional Values Coalition is urging lawmakers to vote against the bill, claiming it will jeopardize religious freedoms and “elevate” homosexuality within federal law.

Holder also is the only African-American currently in President Barack Obama’s Cabinet. He had strong bipartisan support in Monday’s vote, plus he has the approval of major LGBT groups.

Holder previously served in the Clinton administration. In 1997, Clinton appointed Holder to Deputy Attorney General.

In a 1999 appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, Holder called for LGBT inclusion in federal hate crime law, noting that currently the law “provides no coverage whatsoever for violent hate crimes committed because of bias based on the victim’s sexual orientation, gender or disability, and these crimes pose a serious problem for our nation.”

The Matthew Shepard Hate Crime Act was named for the 21-year-old college student who was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in October 1998. It would add sexual orientation to the list of categories covered under federal hate crime law.

The bill will be reintroduced in the next session of Congress and President-elect Obama has said that if it passes he will sign it.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy, called Tuesday night’s confirmation vote “historic.” He noted that Holder’s confirmation hearing was held while American was celebrating the 80th birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.

Leahy said the confirmation would take the nation up the path that King wanted, where people are judged by the content of their character.

A small group of Republicans said they opposed Holder. They argued he was hostile to gun control and not fully supportive of the war on terrorism.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 17-2 to favorably recommend Holder for the post.

The only senators who voted against Holder in committee were Republicans John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.

Holder previously served in the Clinton administration. In 1997 Clinton appointed Holder to Deputy Attorney General.

He has a strong LGBT rights record.

In a 1999 appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, Holder called for LGBT inclusion in federal hate crime law, noting that currently the law “provides no coverage whatsoever for violent hate crimes committed because of bias based on the victim’s sexual orientation, gender or disability, and these crimes pose a serious problem for our nation.”

The Matthew Shepard Hate Crime Act was named for the 21 year old college student who was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in October 1998. It would add sexuality to the list of categories covered under federal hate crime law.

The bill passed the House in 2007 and the White House threatened to veto it. In an effort to get around a veto, the Senate version was tied to the 2008 it was stripped out.

The bill will be reintroduced in the next session of Congress and President Obama has said that if it passes he will sign it.

Before Wednesday’s committee vote, Holder’s supporters said he wouldn’t be afraid to tell President Barack Obama he was wrong. They praised him for declaring that waterboarding as an interrogation technique is torture. And they said he would be tough on crime.

“When asked whether this country at is at war he said yes,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “He indicated the enemy have declared war on this country long before we realized it. He sees the battlefield as the entire globe.”

Graham said he supports Holder’s view that the country needs to interrogate terrorism suspects in accordance with American values.

“I am confident this new attorney general will have a balanced approach and I look forward to working with him. I know he’s made mistakes and so have I,” Graham said.

Several senators praised Holder for his willingness to admit his mistake, when he told the White House he was leaning in favor of Bill Clinton’s pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich – whose wife was a major Democratic contributor.

Holder at the time of the pardon was Deputy Attorney General. Rich was an arms dealer who had illegal dealings with Iran.

Holder told senators Tuesday that that he regrets not studying the proposed pardon more before discussing it with President Bill Clinton. At the time, Holder said he was neutral, leaning toward supporting the pardon. But in hindsight he said he should have consulted with prosecutors and studied the issue more closely before making that statement.

Holder was appointed by President Clinton to Deputy Attorney General in 1997.  He has a strong LGBT rights record.

His nomination has the support of major civil rights groups including the Human Rights Campaign, the NAACP, the National Council of La Raza, and the National Women’s Law Center.

In a 1999 appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, Holder called for LGBT inclusion in federal hate crime law, noting that currently the law “provides no coverage whatsoever for violent hate crimes committed because of bias based on the victim’s sexual orientation, gender or disability, and these crimes pose a serious problem for our nation.”

While Holder’s confirmation hearing was underway before the Judiciary Committee, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was voting overwhelmingly for Hillary Rodham Clinton to become the next secretary of state.

The 16-1 approval by the committee paves the way for a full Senate vote after President-elect Barack Obama takes office on Jan. 20.

During her confirmation hearing earlier this week ,Clinton said that if confirmed as Secretary of State she would review policies to see what could be changed to assist LGBT personnel at the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and other foreign affairs agencies. 

U.S. Foreign Service personnel – as well as civil service and contract employees – are required to serve a large portion of their careers at U.S. embassies and missions overseas.  However, the partners of LGBT personnel receive no assistance while accompanying employees on these mandatory assignments.  

Among many other obstacles, LGBT partners lack access to affordable health insurance coverage and resources for moving abroad.  

During overseas tours, employees’ partners do not receive assistance in obtaining a visa and lack access to employment opportunities, emergency evacuation, and embassy medical units, which all afforded to married heterosexual couples.