Agency Heads’ Power to Appoint Judges Would Grow Under Proposal

Federal agency heads would have greater authority to appoint administrative law judges under a proposed rule that some critics say will allow politics to influence the ranks of adjudicators who decide cases that include securities, environment, and labor disputes.

The Office of Personnel Management issued the proposed rule Friday, following up on a July 2018 executive order by President Donald Trump. He issued that decree after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that judges at the Securities and Exchange Commission must be appointed by the president or an agency head to comply with constitutional requirements.

Up until that high court ...