U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to deliver keynote at U-M Law School graduation

Holder will deliver the keynote speech during Senior Day on May 6 at Hill Auditorium.

“A broad base of experience and a long career in public service make Attorney General Holder a compelling choice as Senior Day speaker,” Law School Dean Evan Caminker said in a statement “He will offer a unique and important perspective for our graduates as they begin their law careers.”

President Barack Obama appointed Holder to the country's top legal position in 2008. He is the first African American attorney general.

Before his appointment, Holder worked for the U.S. Justice Department prosecuting corruption cases involving public officials, as an associate judge with the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, as deputy U.S. attorney general and as a litigation partner in a D.C. firm.

He received his law degree from Columbia University.

Roughly 50 graduates caused a ruckus during last year's Senior Day when they walked out during U.S. Sen. Rob Portman's (R-Ohio) keynote. The students were protesting Portman's policies restricting the rights of homosexuals. This year, Caminker consulted a group of students before asking Holder to speak at U-M.

Senior White House adviser and U-M Law School alumnus Valerie Jarrett gave the spring 2010 Senior Day address.

CNN's Sanjay Gupta is set to deliver U-M's main commencement address on April 28 at Michigan Stadium.