Alexander Acosta

Alexander Acosta
27th United States Secretary of Labor
Assumed office
April 28, 2017
President Donald Trump
Deputy Patrick Pizzella
Preceded by Tom Perez
Dean of the Florida International University College of Law
In office
July 1, 2009 – April 28, 2017
Preceded by Leonard Strickman
Succeeded by Tawia Ansah (acting)
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida
In office
June 11, 2005 – June 5, 2009
President George W. Bush
Barack Obama
Preceded by Marcos Jiménez
Succeeded by Wifredo A. Ferrer
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division
In office
August 22, 2003 – June 11, 2005
President George W. Bush
Preceded by Bradley Schlozman (acting)
Succeeded by Wan J. Kim
Member of the National Labor Relations Board
In office
December 17, 2002 – August 21, 2003
President George W. Bush
Preceded by William Cowen
Succeeded by Ronald Meisburg
Personal details
Born Rene Alexander Acosta
(1969-01-16) January 16, 1969
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Jan Williams
Education Harvard University (BA, JD)

Rene Alexander Acosta (born January 16, 1969)[1] is an American attorney, academic, and politician who is the 27th and current United States Secretary of Labor.[2] A Republican, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to the National Labor Relations Board and later served as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and federal prosecutor for the Southern District of Florida. On February 16, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Acosta to be United States Secretary of Labor. Acosta is the first and only Hispanic person to serve in Trump's cabinet to date.[3][4][5][6] He is the former dean of Florida International University College of Law.

Background

Acosta is the only son of Cuban immigrants.[7] He is a native of Miami, Florida, where he attended the Gulliver Schools. He received an A.B. degree in economics from Harvard College in 1990 and received a J.D. degree cum laude from Harvard Law School 1994.[8]

Following law school, Acosta served as a law clerk to Samuel Alito, then a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, from 1994 to 1995.[9] Acosta then worked at the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm Kirkland & Ellis, where he specialized in employment and labor issues.[10] While in Washington, Acosta taught classes on employment law, disability-based discrimination law, and civil rights law at the George Mason University School of Law.[11]

On December 31, 2013, Acosta became the new chairman of U.S. Century Bank,[12] the largest domestically owned Hispanic community bank in Florida and one of the 15 largest Hispanic community banks in the nation. He spearheaded the effort to establish the J.M. degree in banking compliance, BSA and anti-money-laundering at FIU Law. Acosta is a member of the Board of Trustees of Gulliver Schools, where he served a past term as board chairman.[13]

Executive branch

Acosta as Assistant Attorney General

Acosta served in four presidentially appointed, U.S. Senate-confirmed positions in the Bush administration. From December 2001 to December 2002, he served as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division.[14] From December 2002 to August 2003, he was a member of the National Labor Relations Board for which he participated in or authored more than 125 opinions.[15]

Then, he became Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division on August 22, 2003.[16] While leading the division, he allowed Bradley Schlozman to make decisions on hiring.[17] A report by the Inspector General and the Office of Professional Responsibility later found that Schlozman illegally used his authority to give preferential treatment to conservatives and made false statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Those findings were relayed to the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia,[14] but he was not prosecuted.[17] While it put the primary responsibility on Schlozman, the report also concluded that Acosta "did not sufficiently supervise Schlozman" and that "in light of indications [he and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Sheldon Bradshaw] had about Schlozman's conduct and judgment, they failed to ensure that Schlozman's hiring and personnel decisions were based on proper considerations."[14][17]

In 2005, Acosta was appointed United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida[14]

U.S. Attorney for Southern District of Florie

Acosta during his tenure as U.S. Attorney

In 2005, Acosta began serving as U.S. Attorney for Southern District of Florida, where his office prosecuted the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the terrorism suspect José Padilla, the founders of the Cali Cartel, and Charles McArther Emmanuel, the son of Liberia’s former leader.[18]

The District also targeted white collar crime, prosecuting several bank-related cases, including one against Swiss bank UBS. The case resulted in UBS paying $780 million in fines, and for the first time in history, the bank provided the United States with the names of individuals who were using secret Swiss bank accounts to avoid U.S. taxes.[19]

Other notable cases during his tenure include the corruption prosecution of Palm Beach County Commission Chairman Tony Masilotti, Palm Beach County Commissioner Warren Newell, Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty,[20] and Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne; the conviction of Cali Cartel founders Miguel and Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, for the importation of 200,000 kilos of cocaine, which resulted in a $2.1 billion forfeiture; and the white-collar crime prosecutions of executives connected to Hamilton Bank.[21]

Acosta also emphasized health-care fraud prosecutions. Under Acosta’s leadership the District prosecuted more than 700 individuals, responsible for a total of more than $2 billion in Medicare fraud.[22]

Dean of the Florida International University College of Law

On July 1, 2009, Acosta became the second dean of Florida International University College of Law. During Acosta's tenure, FIU Law has risen to #100 in the U.S. News and World Report Rankings, improved its student to faculty ratio from 16.2 to 1, to 12.8 to 1, and reduced its class size by 40%.[23]

Secretary of Labor

Acosta being sworn in as the Secretary of Labor by Vice President Mike Pence, on April 28, 2017

After the nomination of Andrew Puzder to United States Secretary of Labor was withdrawn, President Donald Trump announced in a press conference on February 16, 2017, that he would nominate Acosta to fill the position.[24][25][26][27][28] Acosta was recommended by White House Counsel Don McGahn.[29]

On April 27, 2017, Acosta was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a 60–38 vote.[30]

Awards and recognition

Acosta has twice been named one of the nation's 50 most influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business Magazine. He serves on the Florida Innocence Commission,[31] on the Florida Supreme Court's Commission on Professionalism,[32] and on the Commission for Hispanic Rights and Responsibilities.[33]

References

  1. ↑ Weaver, Jay; Yanez, Luisa (May 28, 2009). "U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta to lead FIU's law school". The Miami Herald.
  2. ↑ "U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta to head FIU law school". Miami Herald. May 27, 2009. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Trump to name Alexander Acosta as labor secretary nominee". Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  4. ↑ CNN, John King, Manu Raju and Dan Merica. "Trump to announce Alexander Acosta as labor secretary pick". Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Trump to name Alexander Acosta as new Labor secretary nominee". Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  6. ↑ News, A. B. C. (March 3, 2017). "A look at Trump's Cabinet picks". ABC News. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Trump's labor pick is FIU law dean and a former Miami U.S. attorney". Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Alexander Acosta '94 nominated to be labor secretary". Harvard Law Today. February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  9. ↑ Adams, T. Becket (February 16, 2017). "6 things to know about Alexander Acosta, Trump's new pick for labor secretary". Washington Examiner. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  10. ↑ King, John; Raju, Manu; Merica, Dan (February 16, 2017). "Trump names first Hispanic Cabinet pick". CNN. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  11. ↑ Smith, Nancy (February 16, 2017). "FIU Law School Dean, Alexander Acosta, Trump's Secretary of Labor Pick". Sunshine State News. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Former U.S. Attorney becomes chairman of U.S. Century Bank". By Brian Bandell of South Florida Business Journal. December 12, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Our Leadership". Gulliver School. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Office of the Inspector General; Office of Professional Responsibility (January 13, 2009). An Investigation of Allegations of Politicized Hiring and Other Improper Personnel Actions in the Civil Rights Division (PDF) (Report). Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  15. ↑ Morrow, Brendan. "R. Alexander Acosta: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".
  16. ↑ Vitali, Ali; Alexander, Peter (February 16, 2017). "Trump Announces Alexander Acosta as New Labor Secretary Pick". NBC News. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  17. 1 2 3 Serwer, Adam. "The Scandal That May Haunt the New Nominee for Labor Secretary". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  18. ↑ Rappeport, Alan (February 16, 2017). "R. Alexander Acosta, Law School Dean, Is Trump's New Pick for Labor". New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  19. ↑ Graham, David (February 16, 2017). "Trump's New Pick for Secretary of Labor: Alexander Acosta". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Mary McCarty's Fall From Grace". FloridaTrend. FloridaTrend. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  21. ↑ Wilkie, Dana (February 16, 2017). "Alexander Acosta Is Trump's New Pick for Labor Secretary". Society for Human Resource Management. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  22. ↑ "The Issue: Health Care Fraud Costly". Sun Sentinel. May 24, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  23. ↑ "FIU Law Dean Acosta nominated for U.S. labor secretary post". Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  24. ↑ "President Donald J. Trump Nominates R. Alexander Acosta to be Secretary of Labor". Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Trump announced Alexander Acosta as new Labor Secretary pick on Thursday". Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  26. ↑ Baker, Peter (February 16, 2017). "R. Alexander Acosta, Law School Dean, Is Trump's New Pick for Labor". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  27. ↑ Rucker, Philip. "In an erratic performance, President Trump shows his supporters who's boss". Washington Post. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  28. ↑ "'I Inherited a Mess,' Trump Says, Defending His Performance". Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  29. ↑ Cook, Nancy (May 16, 2017). "Trump's top lawyer faces a giant cleanup job". Politico.
  30. ↑ United States Senate. "On the Nomination (Confirmation R. Alexander Acosta, of Florida, to be Secretary of Labor)".
  31. ↑ "Publications". August 5, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Who is Labor secretary pick Alexander Acosta?". February 16, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights & Responsibilities". www.americanbar.org. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Bradley Schlozman
Acting		 United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division
2003–2005		 Succeeded by
Wan J. Kim
Preceded by
Marcos Jiménez		 United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida
2005–2009		 Succeeded by
Willy Ferrer
Academic offices
Preceded by
Leonard Strickman		 Dean of Florida International University College of Law
2009–2017		 Succeeded by
Tawia Ansah
Acting
Political offices
Preceded by
William B. Cowen		 Member of the National Labor Relations Board
2002–2003		 Succeeded by
Ronald E. Meisburg
Preceded by
Tom Perez		 United States Secretary of Labor
2017–present		 Incumbent
Current U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Wilbur Ross
as Secretary of Commerce		 Order of Precedence of the United States
as Secretary of Labor		 Succeeded by
Alex Azar
as Secretary of Health and Human Services
Current U.S. presidential line of succession
Preceded by
Wilbur Ross
as Secretary of Commerce		 11th in line
as Secretary of Labor		 Succeeded by
Alex Azar
as Secretary of Health and Human Services
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.