Thomas E. Perez

Thomas E. Perez
Name	Thomas E. Perez
Birth date	January 10, 1961
Birth place	Buffalo, New York
Occupation	Attorney, civil rights official, politician, professor
Alma mater	Brown University; Georgetown University Law Center
Party	Democratic Party
Offices	United States Secretary of Labor; Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division

Thomas E. Perez Thomas E. Perez is an American attorney, civil rights advocate, academic, and politician who served in senior roles in the United States Department of Justice and as the 26th United States Secretary of Labor. He has held leadership positions in the Maryland Democratic Party, run for Governor of Maryland, and served as Chair of the United States Democratic National Committee's Democratic National Committee candidate processes through advocacy and public service. Perez's career spans litigation at the American Civil Liberties Union, regulatory work at state agencies in Maryland, and federal enforcement of civil rights and labor laws.

Early life and education

Perez was born in Buffalo, New York to Dominican immigrants and raised in Long Island and Kenmore, New York. He attended Syracuse University for preparatory programs before matriculating at Brown University, where he earned a degree in American studies and became involved with community organizations connected to the Civil Rights Movement legacy. He received a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, where he studied alongside future leaders who attended Harvard Law School exchanges and national legal conferences. During law school, he participated in clinics and externships that connected him with practitioners at the National Labor Relations Board and the United States Department of Justice.

Legal and academic career

Perez began his legal career clerking for a federal judge and then joined the staff of the American Civil Liberties Union, litigating cases on voting rights and consumer protection that intersected with rulings from the United States Supreme Court and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He served as an assistant attorney general in Maryland, handling consumer protection matters before the Maryland Court of Appeals and collaborating with the Federal Trade Commission on multistate enforcement actions. Perez later joined the faculty at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and lectured at Johns Hopkins University and other institutions, focusing on civil rights, administrative law, and employment discrimination. His academic work referenced scholars from Harvard University, Yale Law School, and Columbia Law School and noted precedent from cases such as Brown v. Board of Education and statutes like the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Department of Justice and civil rights work

Appointed Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division under President Barack Obama, Perez led enforcement actions against discriminatory practices involving law enforcement agencies, housing authorities, and election officials. His tenure involved negotiations with municipal governments including the City of Cleveland, the Baltimore Police Department, and the New Orleans Police Department resulting in consent decrees and pattern-or-practice investigations informed by decisions from the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Perez worked with colleagues at the Civil Rights Division and interagency partners such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to enforce statutes including the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. He litigated voting rights cases drawing on the precedent of Shelby County v. Holder and coordinated federal responses to hate crimes tied to events covered by The New York Times and national broadcasters. Perez resigned from the Civil Rights Division to join the United States Department of Labor as Secretary.

Secretary of Labor

As Secretary of Labor in the Obama administration, Perez oversaw enforcement of wage and hour rules, worker-safety initiatives coordinated with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and regulatory actions involving joint employer standards influenced by decisions from the National Labor Relations Board and appellate courts. He promoted apprenticeship programs tied to workforce development efforts featuring partnerships with Community Colleges, AFL–CIO, and private sector employers including multinational firms headquartered near Washington, D.C. Perez advanced rulemaking on overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act and pursued actions to recover back wages using administrative practices similar to those at the Department of Commerce and the Internal Revenue Service. He represented the department at congressional hearings before committees chaired by members from the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate and engaged with governors from California, New York, and Maryland on regional job-training initiatives.

Maryland politics and gubernatorial campaign

After leaving federal office, Perez returned to Maryland politics, serving on statewide boards and engaging with the Maryland Democratic Party and labor unions such as the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. He ran in the Maryland gubernatorial election, 2022 primary and faced opponents including Wes Moore and others endorsed by national groups like the Democratic Governors Association. Perez's campaign emphasized criminal justice reform, healthcare access, and economic equity, drawing comparisons with policies advanced by governors in Massachusetts and California. His candidacy mobilized endorsements from elected officials across Montgomery County, Maryland and grassroots organizations rooted in communities represented by members of the United States Congress.

Later career and public positions

Following his gubernatorial bid, Perez resumed legal practice, advocacy, and teaching, affiliating with civil rights groups, law firms, and nonprofit organizations that coordinate with the Brennan Center for Justice, the ACLU, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. He has commented on national debates over voting rights, immigration policy influenced by litigation before the United States Supreme Court, and labor standards shaped by decisions from the National Labor Relations Board. Perez continues to participate in public forums alongside figures from Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, and academic colleagues from Georgetown University and University of Maryland, contributing op-eds to outlets such as The Washington Post and appearing on programming produced by NPR and cable news networks.

Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:United States Secretaries of Labor Category:Georgetown University Law Center alumni Category:Brown University alumni Category:People from Buffalo, New York