Obama Taps Asst. Attorney General, Thomas Perez for Secretary of Labor
On March 18, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Thomas Perez to replace former Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, who resigned earlier this year. Mr. Perez currently serves as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The nomination looks like it will receive plenty of push back from Republican lawmakers. On March 18, 2013, U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) announced his commitment to block Mr. Perez’s nomination until DOJ responds to his 2011 letter alleging inconsistent enforcement of the National Voter Registration Act in Louisiana. U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) called the nomination “unfortunate and needlessly divisive,” citing to Mr. Perez’s “controversial tenure at [DOJ] where he has demonstrated a fundamentally political approach to the law.”
Mr. Perez’s nomination also comes at the heels of a recent report released by DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz which cites numerous examples of unprofessional and politicized behavior within DOJ’s voting rights section – the Civil Rights Division oversees the voting rights section.
We will continue to update you throughout Mr. Perez’s confirmation process.
For more information, please contact Mark Dreux, Head of the Arent Fox OSHA Group, at 202-857-6405.
