The Justice Department's No. 3 is stepping down

Thomson Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The acting associate attorney general at the U.S. Justice Department, Stuart Delery, will be leaving his job on April 14, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on Tuesday.

"Stuart Delery has been an indispensable source of wisdom, leadership and inspiration at the Department of Justice, working relentlessly to make the ideals of equal opportunity and equal justice a reality for all," Lynch said in a statement. 

Delery is expected to be replaced by Bill Baer, who is now the assistant attorney general in charge of the Antitrust Division, according to National Public Radio. Baer did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Justice Department spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said Delery was leaving for personal reasons and would explore options in the private sector. 

Delery, who served seven years in total at the department, is openly gay and argued at the appellate court level against the Defense of Marriage Act, which prevented gay marriage from being recognized by the federal government.

After the key provisions of the act were overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, Delery led a government-wide implementation of the decision.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder announced Delery's promotion to acting associate attorney general, the No. 3 position at the department, in September 2014. 

Delery led settlement negotiations that recovered $14.3 billion from cases of fraud against the government. He also oversaw monetary recoveries in health care, procurement and financial fraud cases.

(Reporting by ; Editing by Fiona Ortiz)

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