President Trump on Thursday selected Alexander Acosta, dean of the Florida International University College of Law, as his next choice for Labor Secretary after Andrew Puzder’s nomination crashed when his support in the Senate faltered.
If confirmed, Acosta would be Trump’s first Hispanic Cabinet official.
He comes with a big edge – he has won Senate confirmation three times before – first as a National Labor Relations Board member, then as an assistant attorney general and later as a US attorney in south Florida.
“I think he’ll be a tremendous secretary of labor,” Trump said at an announcement from the East Room of the White House.
Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, which owns the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. chains, withdrew his nomination after it became clear he didn’t have the votes necessary for confirmation.
Puzder lost support after it was revealed he hired an illegal immigrant to do work around his house — and failed to pay taxes on that worker.
Old allegations of spousal abuse also emerged after Puzder had been selected by Trump, though his ex-wife who made the claims recanted her previous accusations.
Born in Miami, Acosta graduated from Harvard Law School and clerked for now-Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito from 1994 to 1995 when Alito was a judge on the US Court of Appeals in the Third Circuit.
Acosta went on to join the Washington, DC, law firm of Kirkland & Ellis and specialized in employment and labor issues.
He also taught courses on employment and civil rights law at George Mason University School of Law.
He served on the NLRB from December 2002 to August 2003.
As the US Attorney in Florida, he oversaw a number of high-profile cases, including the prosecution of lobbyist Jack Abramoff for fraud and tax evasion.
Since July 2009, Acosta has been the dean of Florida International University College of Law.