United States Solicitor of Labor
United States Solicitor of Labor | |
---|---|
Incumbent Seema Nanda since TBD | |
United States Department of Labor | |
Seat | Frances Perkins Building, Washington, D.C. |
Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
Formation | 1913 |
Deputy | , Deputy Solicitor of Labor |
Salary | Executive Schedule, level IV |
Website | www |
The United States solicitor of labor is the chief legal officer of the United States Department of Labor and the third-ranking officer of the department, behind the secretary of labor and deputy secretary of labor.[1][2] The Office of the Solicitor has the second largest litigation department in the U.S. federal government, with about 500 lawyers in both national and regional offices.[1][3] The Solicitor of Labor has independent authority to initiate lawsuits to enforce 180 federal workplace statutes.[1][4] The position is a Presidential appointee requiring Senate confirmation, and is paid at Level IV of the Executive Schedule.[5]
The Office of the Solicitor was established by the , which separated the Department of Labor from the Department of Commerce and Labor, although a solicitor position for the combined department had existed since 1903. The solicitor of labor was originally located in the Department of Justice until it was transferred to the Department of Labor in 1933. In 1940, all Department attorneys and legal personnel were transferred to the supervision of the solicitor of labor.[1][6] In the 1980s, the office attracted attention for delays in cases enforcing the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974,[7] and for not seeking the maximum compensation for back wages due under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.[8] In 2019, a memo directing lawyers to consult with agency heads before filing lawsuits against employers was criticized as ceding some of its authority to political appointees.[3]
List[]
The following people have held the office of Solicitor of Labor:[9]
- 1913–1918
- John W. Abercrombie 1918–1921
- 1921–1932
- Charles E. Wyzanski 1933–1935
- 1936–1937
- Gerard D. Reilly 1937–1941
- 1941–1942
- (Acting) 1942–1943
- 1943–1945
- 1945–1953
- Harry N. Routzohn 1953
- 1953–1959
- (Acting) 1959–1961
- Charles Donahue 1961–1968
- Laurence H. Silberman 1969–1970
- 1970–1971
- Richard Schubert 1971–1973
- 1973–1977
- Carin A. Clauss 1977–1981
- 1981–1983
- 1984–1985
- 1986–1989
- 1989–1991
- 1992–1993
- 1993–1996
- (Acting) 1996–1997
- Marvin Krislov (Acting) 1997–1998
- 1998–2001
- (Acting) 2001
- Howard M. Radzely (Acting) 2001–2002
- Eugene Scalia 2002–2003
- Howard M. Radzely 2003–2007
- 2007–2009
- M. Patricia Smith 2010–2017
- (Acting) 2017
- Kate S. O'Scannlain 2017–2021
- Terri Johnson (Acting) January 20, 2021–February 1, 2021
- [10] (Acting) February 1, 2021–present
- Seema Nanda, confirmed by the Senate.[11]
References[]
- Seema Nanda (Nominee)
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Office of the Solicitor (SOL) History". U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
- ^ Borins, Sandford F. (2009-12-01). Innovations in Government: Research, Recognition, and Replication. Brookings Institution Press. p. 105. ISBN 9780815710301.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Penn, Ben (2019-06-07). "Labor Department's Top Lawyer Wants Political Review of Lawsuits". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
- ^ Penn, Ben (2017-11-08). "Meet the Most Powerful Labor Lawyer You've Never Heard Of". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
- ^ "United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions (Plum Book)". U.S. Senate. 2016-12-01. p. 102. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
- ^ "Key Dates in SOL History". U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- ^ "Assessment of How the Department of Labor's Solicitor's Office Handles Pension and Welfare Benefit Cases". U.S. Government Accountability Office. 1984-12-08. Cite journal requires
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(help) - ^ "The Department of Labor's Enforcement of the Fair Labor Standards Act" (HRD-85-77). U.S. Government Accountability Office. 1985-09-30. Cite journal requires
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(help) - ^ "Past Solicitors of Labor". U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
- ^ "Biden's New DOL Hiring Wave Adds Political Head to Legal Office". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Nanda, Seema. "Roll Call Vote 117th Congress - 1st Session". United States Senate. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
External links[]
- United States Department of Labor officials
- American labor lawyers