President Barack Obama said ^[1] Wednesday he will install James Cole as Deputy Attorney General through a recess appointment.

The appointment will allow Cole to serve a year in the department’s No. 2 job. A friend of Attorney General Eric Holder, Cole  was nominated in May and was approved ^[2] by the Senate Judiciary Committee in July along a party-line vote.

A parter at Bryan Cave LLP, Cole spent 13 years at the Department of Justice, including three years as deputy chief of the Public Integrity Section in the Criminal Division. Senate Republicans objected to a

For background on why his nomination became controversial, read our previous report here ^[3].

Here is a statement from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.):

“Despite repeated requests, for more than five months, Senate Republicans refused to debate the nomination of Jim Cole to be the Deputy Attorney General. I have no question that Jim Cole is highly qualified to fill this vital law enforcement post. His nomination received bipartisan support from public officials and from high-ranking veterans of the Justice Department, and I believe that he would have been confirmed by the Senate had his nomination been given an up-or-down vote. The delays in considering his nomination were unnecessary and wrong. I am glad that he will now finally begin this important work to protect the American people.”