Who Will Replace Eric Holder?

Attorney General Eric Holder will announce Thursday afternoon that he will step down as the nation's top law enforcement official.

A look at some possible replacements mentioned in past news stories on the topic:

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick: A close friend of President Obama, Patrick is not running for re-election in November. He has long been mentioned as a possible replacement for Holder, in part because of his knowledge of the Justice Department and ties to Obama. Patrick was chief of the Justice Department's civil rights division under Bill Clinton. As governor, Patrick won raves for his handling of the Boston Marathon bombing and its aftermath.