On September 26, 2019, the Senate confirmed labor and employment attorney Eugene Scalia for Labor Secretary, in a 53-44 vote that was divided along party lines. Scalia served as the Labor Department’s chief legal officer from 2002-2003, before entering private practice. The son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Eugene Scalia will assume the position from acting Labor Secretary Patrick Pizzella.

Scalia’s confirmation comes just two days after the Labor Department announced a final rule to make over 1 million U.S. workers eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act. [1] Under Scalia’s leadership, the Labor Department is expected to finalize additional business-friendly regulations prior to the end of President Trump’s first term.

[1] For more information, see Snell & Wilmer’s legal alert on the final rule here.