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UPDATED Friday, November 7, 2014, 6:43 p.m., ET – On Saturday President Barack Obama will announce his intention to nominate Loretta Lynch as U.S. attorney general, Associated Press is reporting.

Earlier:

With the recent announcement that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will be stepping down, there has been rumblings in Washington about who his replacement would be. Emerging as a top candidate, Brooklyn prosecutor Loretta Lynch (pictured) is among the top names mentioned as a potential nominee.

RELATED: Eric Holder Resigns

Lynch, an African-American woman and North Carolina native, is currently the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Based on sources close to the development, Lynch has been added to the conversation after another top potential candidate stepped down and took their name out of the running.

As reported by the Reuters news agency, Lynch is joined by Solicitor General Donald Verrilli and current Labor Secretary Thomas Perez as the President’s top considerations, according to a series of secretly held talks.

The 55-year-old Lynch has served two tenures as the lead federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, and her confirmation would certainly be guaranteed if her supporters’ assumptions hold fast. Like Holder, should she be nominated and confirmed, Lynch would make history as the first Black woman to preside over the U.S. Department of Justice. It would also give balance to President Barack Obama‘s male-dominated Cabinet.

More from Reuters:

The administration of President Barack Obama has considered multiple candidates and the White House is not expected to announce a nominee until after the midterm elections next week, so a dark horse candidate could still emerge.

Former White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler pulled out of consideration for the job amid concerns that her involvement in controversial White House decisions could make it difficult to get her confirmed by the Senate.

Solicitor General Verrilli and Labor Secretary Perez both have an advantage of having had a working relationship with Obama. Lynch does not but she is one of several candidates Holder has encouraged the White House to look at, two sources said. Vetting inquiries into Lynch have been underway, sources said.

Lynch’s record in New York has not been one mired in controversy, lending credence to the idea that a confirmation would be seamless. Despite her relatively small number of well-publicized cases, Lynch benefits from establishing and maintaining close ties with Holder.

Lynch’s office indicted Republican Congressman Michael Grimm last April for fraud and has aligned itself with Holder’s office on a number of other high-profile cases. Lynch’s team also assisted in investigating Citigroup Inc., regarding faulty mortgage securities sold by the banking group, leading to a $7 billion settlement over the summer.

Lynch attended Harvard University for both undergrad and law school. She was nominated for her current position by President Obama in 2010.

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