FIU Law School Dean Sworn in as Secretary of Labor

MIAMI, FL — Florida International law school dean and former U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta was sworn in on Friday to head the Department of Labor. Acosta becomes the 27th U.S. Secretary of Labor. He is also the first Latino member of the president's Cabinet.

“We are thrilled that one of our own has been confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Labor,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg on Friday. “Dean Acosta will bring to Washington the same work ethic, integrity and passion that helped make our College of Law one of the best in the state, and among the top 100 in the nation. Acosta comes to his cabinet post with significant federal experience, which is critical, given the challenges and opportunities in the areas of jobs and workforce development.”

President Trump announced Acosta's nomination in February one day after Andrew Puzder, the CEO of CKE Restaurants, dropped out of consideration for the position as numerous senators voiced concerns that threatened to tank his chances of confirmation.

A native of Miami and a first-generation lawyer, the 48-year-old Acosta became the second dean of the college of law at Florida International University in 2009. He also is a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, who earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and his law degree from Harvard Law School.

Acosta practiced law at the firm of Kirkland & Ellis and taught law at George Mason School of Law after serving as law clerk to Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., then a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Acosta has served in three presidential-appointed, Senate-confirmed positions. He was a member of the National Labor Relations Board, where he participated in or authored more than 125 opinions. He went on to be the first Hispanic to hold the rank of Assistant Attorney General.

Most recently, Acosta served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and was the longest serving U.S. Attorney in the District since the 1970s.

While Acosta served as U.S. Attorney, the Southern District prosecuted a number of high-profile defendants, including Jack Abramoff for fraud, Jose Padilla for terrorism and Charles “Chuckie” Taylor Jr. for torture, which was the first torture case of its kind in the United States.

He also prosecuted Cali Cartel founders Miguel and Gilberto Rodriquez-Orejuela for the importation of 200,000 kilos of cocaine, which resulted in a $2.1 billion forfeiture.

In addition to his government work, Acosta has ties to the banking industry, serving as chairman of U.S. Century Bank, the largest domestically owned Hispanic community bank in Florida and one of the 15 largest Hispanic community banks in the nation.

Photo courtesy of Florida International University