WASHINGTON -- Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden, the Justice Department's equivalent of a chief executive officer, is stepping down after only 10 months on the job, to return to his private law practice.

Mr. Ogden's announcement that he was leaving his post as the No. 2 official at Justice took many by surprise, even some close associates. Sources at Justice and on Capitol Hill said Mr. Ogden had told them that he always intended to spend only a year or two in the job, but that they had not been given any indication that his departure was imminent.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymit, because they did not want to discuss internal Justice Department personnel matters, but said there was no defining incident or policy that prompted Mr. Ogden to leave.

After his confirmation last March, Mr. Ogden, 56, was responsible for a broad portfolio that included managing the day-to-day operations of the sprawling department, including overseeing its criminal, national security and civil divisions and the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.

Mr. Holder praised his top deputy, saying Mr. Ogden "helped reinvigorate the department's traditional missions, restore its reputation for independence and make the country safer and more secure."

Mr. Ogden said he would stay in office until Feb. 5 to give Mr. Obama and Mr. Holder time to identify a successor and ensure a smooth transition. Mr. Ogden, 56, is returning to the blue-chip WilmerHale law firm, which he joined in 2001 after serving with Mr. Holder in senior positions in the Clinton administration Justice Department.

Washington correspondent Daniel Malloy writes the "Pittsburgh On The Potomac" blog exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.