{{Short description|American politician and attorney (born 1961)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Tom Perez | image = Official portrait of United States Secretary of Labor Tom Perez.jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2013 | office = Senior Advisor to the President | president = Joe Biden | term_start = June 12, 2023 | term_end = January 20, 2025 | predecessor = Julie Rodriguez | successor = Elon Musk<br>Massad Boulos | office1 = Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs | president1 = Joe Biden | deputy1 = Daniel Koh | term_start1 = June 12, 2023 | term_end1 = January 20, 2025 | predecessor1 = Julie Chavez Rodriguez | successor1 = Alex Meyer | office2 = Chair of the Democratic National Committee | deputy2 = Keith Ellison (2017–2018) | term_start2 = February 24, 2017 | term_end2 = January 21, 2021 | predecessor2 = Debbie Wasserman Schultz | successor2 = Jaime Harrison | office3 = 26th United States Secretary of Labor | president3 = Barack Obama | deputy3 = Seth Harris<br>Chris Lu | term_start3 = July 23, 2013 | term_end3 = January 20, 2017 | predecessor3 = Hilda Solis | successor3 = Alexander Acosta | office4 = United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division | president4 = Barack Obama | term_start4 = October 8, 2009 | term_end4 = July 23, 2013 | predecessor4 = Wan J. Kim | successor4 = Jocelyn Samuels (acting) | office5 = Secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation | governor5 = Martin O'Malley | term_start5 = March 15, 2007 | term_end5 = October 7, 2009 | predecessor5 = James Fielder | successor5 = Alexander Sanchez | office6 = Member of the Montgomery County Council<br>from the 5th district | term_start6 = December 10, 2002 | term_end6 = December 10, 2006 | predecessor6 = Donell Peterman | successor6 = Valerie Ervin | birth_name = Thomas Edward Perez | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|10|7}} | birth_place = Buffalo, New York, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = Democratic | spouse = Ann Staudenmaier | children = 3 | education = Brown University (BA)<br>Harvard University (JD, MPP) | signature = Thomasperez-sig-.png }} '''Thomas Edward Perez''' (born October 7, 1961) is an American politician and attorney who served as the senior advisor to U.S. president Joe Biden and the director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs from 2023 to 2025. Perez previously served as the United States Secretary of Labor from 2013 to 2017, the chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2017 to 2021, and U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights from 2009 to 2013.
Born in Buffalo, New York, Perez is a graduate of Brown University, Harvard Law School, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government. After clerking for Judge Zita Weinshienk in Colorado, Perez served as a federal civil rights prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice, a staffer for Senator Ted Kennedy, and, in the final years of the Clinton administration, as the director of the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services. Perez was elected to the Montgomery County (Maryland) Council in 2002, serving as the council's president from 2005 until the end of his tenure in 2006. He attempted to run for the Democratic nomination for attorney general of Maryland, but was disqualified for having insufficient time as a member of the Maryland state bar. In January 2007. Perez was appointed by Maryland governor Martin O'Malley as secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
In October 2009, Perez was nominated by U.S. president Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate as assistant attorney general. In 2013, Perez was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate to be the United States Secretary of Labor.
After the 2016 U.S. elections, Perez announced his candidacy for chair of the Democratic National Committee in the 2017 party election.<ref name="Chair1">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/labor-secretary-tom-perez-will-join-race-to-run-dnc/2016/12/13/0b368ee0-c15f-11e6-8422-eac61c0ef74d_story.html|title=Labor Secretary Tom Perez will join race to run DNC |newspaper=The Washington Post|last=Weigel|first=David|date=December 13, 2016|access-date=December 15, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Chair2">{{cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/tom-perez-dnc-chair-232621 |title=Perez set to make his run for DNC chair official |work=Politico |last=Dovere |first=Edward-Isaac |date=December 14, 2016 |access-date=December 15, 2016}}</ref> After a tight race against Keith Ellison, Perez was elected chairman on the second ballot; he appointed Ellison as deputy chair. Perez declined to run for re-election as chair in 2021. Perez was a GU Politics Fellow at the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tom Perez|url=https://politics.georgetown.edu/profile/tom-perez/|access-date=April 20, 2021|website=Institute of Politics and Public Service|language=en-US}}</ref> Perez then ran for the Democratic nomination in the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election, but lost to Baltimore author Wes Moore in the Democratic primary.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 23, 2022 |title=Author Wes Moore wins Democratic race for Maryland governor |url=https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-entertainment-donald-trump-larry-hogan-cdacc45d4f3cc6f65d14357d0ae86c64 |access-date=July 24, 2022 |website=AP NEWS |language=en |archive-date=July 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724005711/https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-entertainment-donald-trump-larry-hogan-cdacc45d4f3cc6f65d14357d0ae86c64 |url-status=live }}</ref> He joined the Biden administration in June 2023.
==Early life and education== Thomas Edward Perez was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, to parents Grace (née Altagracia Brache Bernard) and Dr. Rafael Antonio de Jesús Pérez Lara, who had immigrated from the Dominican Republic.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://danr.org/tag/thomas-e-perez |title=DANR President Attends Installation Ceremony of Thomas E. Perez as US Assistant Attorney General |work=Dominican American National Roundtable |date=November 14, 2009 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109045259/http://danr.org/tag/thomas-e-perez/ |archive-date=January 9, 2014}}</ref>
His father, who earned U.S. citizenship after enlisting in the U.S. Army after World War II, worked as a doctor in Atlanta, Georgia, before moving to Buffalo, where he worked as a physician at a Veterans Affairs hospital.<ref name="hearing">{{cite web|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-111shrg62198/html/CHRG-111shrg62198.htm|title=HEARINGS before the COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION (APRIL 29, MAY 12, JUNE 24, 2009)|date=June 24, 2009|access-date=March 19, 2013|archive-date=February 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223222432/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-111shrg62198/html/CHRG-111shrg62198.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
His mother, Grace, came to the United States in 1930 after her father, Rafael Brache, was appointed as the Dominican Republic's Ambassador to the United States. Brache was initially an ally of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo, but after disagreements with the regime, he was declared an enemy of the state, forcing him and his family to remain in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22074-2005Apr2.html|title=Council Chief Builds a Base In the New Montgomery|author=Cameron W. Barr|newspaper=washingtonpost.com|date=April 3, 2005|archive-date=January 20, 2017|access-date=September 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120015133/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22074-2005Apr2.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Perez is the youngest of five brothers and sisters, all of whom but Perez followed their father in becoming physicians.<ref name="hearing"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/03/17/obama-to-name-perez-labor-secretary/1995719 |title=Obama picks Perez to head Labor Department |first=Aamer |last=Madhani |newspaper=USA Today|date=March 18, 2013}}</ref> His father died of a heart attack when Perez was 12 years old.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/us/politics/obama-to-nominate-thomas-e-perez-as-labor-secretary.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|title=Obama Nominates Justice Aide for Labor Post|author=Peter Baker|newspaper=nytimes.com|date=March 17, 2013|archive-date=October 20, 2016|access-date=February 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020055456/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/us/politics/obama-to-nominate-thomas-e-perez-as-labor-secretary.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref> He attended [https://www.myctkschool.com/ Christ the King] in Amherst, New York<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://buffalonews.com/news/local/snyder-native-tom-perez-officially-launches-dnc-bid/article_8c3f5815-0ad0-5512-b87b-5ca748510787.html|title=Snyder native Tom Perez officially launches DNC bid|first=NEWS WIRE|last=SERVICES|website=Buffalo News|date=December 15, 2016|access-date=December 18, 2020|archive-date=April 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415234842/https://buffalonews.com/news/local/snyder-native-tom-perez-officially-launches-dnc-bid/article_8c3f5815-0ad0-5512-b87b-5ca748510787.html|url-status=live}}</ref> until the 8th Grade. Perez graduated from Canisius High School, an all boys Jesuit school in Buffalo, in 1979.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canisiushigh.org/news.cfm?story=835 |title=Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez '79 to address Downtowners in October |work=Canisius High School |date=October 27, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002032037/http://www.canisiushigh.org/news.cfm?story=835 |archive-date=October 2, 2011}}</ref>
Perez received his Bachelor of Arts in international relations and political science from Brown University in 1983. He joined the Sigma Chi fraternity there.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.browndailyherald.com/2013/03/18/obama-to-nominate-perez-for-labor-secretary-slot|title=Obama to nominate Perez for Labor Secretary slot|author=Mathias Heller|newspaper=The Brown Daily Herald|date=March 18, 2013|archive-date=May 12, 2013|access-date=March 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512214929/http://www.browndailyherald.com/2013/03/18/obama-to-nominate-perez-for-labor-secretary-slot/|url-status=live}}</ref> He covered the cost of attending Brown with scholarships and Pell Grants and by working as a trash collector and in a warehouse.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/tipsheets/playbook/2013/03/rnc-reboot-immigration-reform-engaging-hispanics-asians-african-americans-catching-up-to-dems-digital-supremacy-ailes-book-excerpts-010237 |title=RNC REBOOT: immigration reform; engaging Hispanics, Asians, African Americans; catching up to Dems' digital supremacy -- AILES book excerpts |first=Mike |last=Allen |work=Politico |date=March 18, 2013 |archive-date=July 18, 2023 |access-date=July 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718134559/https://www.politico.com/tipsheets/playbook/2013/03/rnc-reboot-immigration-reform-engaging-hispanics-asians-african-americans-catching-up-to-dems-digital-supremacy-ailes-book-excerpts-010237 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cabinet-labor-idUSBRE92H02520130318|title=Obama's labor pick Perez faces Republican scrutiny|author=Roberta Rampton, Rachelle Younglai|publisher=reuters.com|date=March 18, 2013}}</ref> He worked in Brown's dining hall and for the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://danr.org/tag/us-assistant-attorney-general-thomas-perez |title=DANR Applauds Confirmation of Tom Perez as Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Civil Rights Division |work=Dominican American National Roundtable |date=October 8, 2009 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109050150/http://danr.org/tag/us-assistant-attorney-general-thomas-perez/ |archive-date=January 9, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-111shrg57909/html/CHRG-111shrg57909.htm|title=THE LAW OF THE LAND: U.S. IMPLEMENTATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS TREATIES HEARING before the SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE LAW of the COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION|author=United States Government Printing Office|date=December 16, 2009|access-date=June 14, 2013|archive-date=July 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731104236/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-111shrg57909/html/CHRG-111shrg57909.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 1987, Perez received a Juris Doctor ''cum laude'' from Harvard Law School and a Master of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/adup/2010/10/21/civil-rights-in-2010-and-beyond-tom-perez-%E2%80%9987-the-future-of-civil-rights-work|title=Civil Rights in 2010 and Beyond: Tom Perez '87 & the Future of Civil Rights Work|publisher=harvard.edu|date=October 26, 2010|access-date=March 19, 2013|archive-date=January 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109044950/http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/adup/2010/10/21/civil-rights-in-2010-and-beyond-tom-perez-%E2%80%9987-the-future-of-civil-rights-work/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 1986, while a student at Harvard, Perez worked as a law clerk for Attorney General Edwin Meese.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/ola/testimony/112-2/07-26-12-crt-perez.pdf|title=STATEMENT OF THOMAS E. PEREZ ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OVERSIGHT HEARING ON THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION|author=United States Government Printing Office|publisher=justice.gov|date=July 26, 2012|access-date=November 22, 2020|archive-date=July 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130713115214/http://www.justice.gov/ola/testimony/112-2/07-26-12-crt-perez.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Early career== After graduating from Harvard, Perez worked as a law clerk for Judge Zita Weinshienk of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado from 1987 to 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2009/October/09-crt-1079.html|title=Attorney General Eric Holder Welcomes Thomas E. Perez as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division|author=Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs|publisher=justice.gov|date=October 9, 2009|access-date=November 22, 2020|archive-date=July 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713040439/http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2009/October/09-crt-1079.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
From 1989 to 1995, he worked as a federal prosecutor in the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/mar/18/us-obama-labor-secretary-bio-box|title=Biographical information for Thomas Perez|agency=Associated Press|publisher=lasvegassun.com|date=March 18, 2013}} {{dead link|date=May 2017}}</ref> He later served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under Attorney General Janet Reno.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neiu.edu/~insights/Apr10/commencement.html |title=CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST THOMAS PEREZ TO SPEAK AT COMMENCEMENT |author=Northeastern Illinois University |publisher=neiu.edu |date=April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527144500/http://www.neiu.edu/~insights/Apr10/commencement.html |archive-date=May 27, 2010}}</ref> Perez chaired the interagency Worker Exploitation Task Force, which oversaw a variety of initiatives designed to protect workers.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/144267-reports-obama-picks-civil-rights-lawyer-for-labor-secretary/|title=Reports: Obama picks civil rights lawyer for Labor secretary|first=Ben|last=Gemen|newspaper=The Hill|date=March 9, 2013|archive-date=July 18, 2023|access-date=July 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718134559/https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/144267-reports-obama-picks-civil-rights-lawyer-for-labor-secretary/|url-status=live}}</ref>
From 1995 to 1998, Perez worked as Democratic Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy's principal adviser on civil rights, criminal justice, and constitutional issues.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://law.umn.edu/uploads/6b/c7/6bc7b7f0a3c6f1ee433f2a0bdb16dacd/PerezLecPC.F2.pdf |title=CIVIL RIGHTS ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION |author=University of Minnesota Law School |publisher=umn.edu |date=March 18, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140923225821/http://www.law.umn.edu/uploads/6b/c7/6bc7b7f0a3c6f1ee433f2a0bdb16dacd/PerezLecPC.F2.pdf |archive-date=September 23, 2014}}</ref> During the final two years of the second Clinton administration, he worked as the director of the Office for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Health and Human Services.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324010704578418870739177156|title=Labor Pick Faces Backlash Over His Aggressive Record|author=Devlin Barrett, Melanie Trottman|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=April 17, 2013|archive-date=July 13, 2018|access-date=August 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713181142/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324010704578418870739177156|url-status=live}}</ref>
From 2001 to 2007, Perez was a professor at the University of Maryland School of Law, where he taught in the clinical law and the law and health program.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.law.umaryland.edu/about/features/feature_details.html?feature=127 |title=President Obama Nominates Thomas E. Perez, Former UM Carey Law Faculty Member, for Secretary of Labor |author=University of Maryland School of Law |publisher=umaryland.edu |date=March 18, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514010546/http://www.law.umaryland.edu/about/features/feature_details.html?feature=127 |archive-date=May 14, 2013}}</ref> He was a part-time member of the faculty at the George Washington University School of Public Health.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-perez-labor-20130318,0,2117954.story|title=Obama to nominate Thomas E. Perez as Labor secretary|author=Christi Parsons|work=Los Angeles Times|date=March 18, 2013|access-date=February 18, 2020|archive-date=March 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130319111227/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-perez-labor-20130318,0,2117954.story|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Montgomery County Council== In 2002, Perez ran for the county council of Montgomery County, Maryland from its 5th District, which covers Silver Spring, Kensington, Takoma Park, and Wheaton.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=214803 |title=Montgomery County, MD Council 5 |access-date=February 28, 2020 |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809105829/https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=214803 |url-status=live }}</ref> His main challenge was the Democratic primary, where he faced Sally Sternbach, the head of the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board and the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce.<ref name="Gazette 2003">{{cite web|url=http://ww2.gazette.net/gazette_archive/2003/200301/business/names/137946-1.html|title=Sternbach picked to take over GRP|publisher=Maryland Community News Online|author=Noel Barton|newspaper=gazette.net|date=January 3, 2003|access-date=March 19, 2013|archive-date=December 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215094303/http://ww2.gazette.net/gazette_archive/2003/200301/business/names/137946-1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> He defeated Sternbach with the support of the AFL–CIO and other labor groups.<ref name="Gazette 2003"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dclabor.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/10665 |title=Mo Co Summary 5 14 06 - Metropolitan Washington AFL-CIO |publisher=dclabor.org |date=May 14, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708073133/http://www.dclabor.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/10665 |archive-date=July 8, 2007}}</ref> He faced Republican Dennis E. Walsh in the general election and won with 76% of the vote, becoming the first Hispanic council member.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/36loc/mo/elect/general/mo2002.html|title=MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND ELECTION RETURNS GENERAL ELECTION|author=Montgomery County Board of Elections|publisher=msa.maryland.gov|date=November 5, 2002|access-date=May 1, 2013|archive-date=March 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306003657/http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/36loc/mo/elect/general/mo2002.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Perez was on the council from 2002 to 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/who-thomas-perez-presumptive-nominee-us-labor-secretary-1117601|title=Who Is Thomas Perez, The Presumptive Nominee As US Labor Secretary?|website=International Business Times|author=J.J. McGrath|publisher=ibtimes.com|date=March 9, 2013|access-date=March 19, 2013|archive-date=May 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513212918/http://www.ibtimes.com/who-thomas-perez-presumptive-nominee-us-labor-secretary-1117601|url-status=live}}</ref> During that time, he served on the committees for Health and Human Services, and Transportation and the Environment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/archive/pr/2003/2003factsheet.pdf|title=Montgomery County Council Legislative Information Services|publisher=montgomerycountymd.gov|date=December 2, 2002|access-date=March 19, 2013|archive-date=April 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403022311/http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/archive/pr/2003/2003factsheet.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> He also served as council president from 2004 to 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-taps-thomas-perez-as-labor-secretary/|title=Obama taps Thomas Perez as labor secretary|author=Lucy Madison|publisher=cbsnews.com|date=March 18, 2013|access-date=September 1, 2024|archive-date=November 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127085607/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-taps-thomas-perez-as-labor-secretary/|url-status=live}}</ref> With council member Mike Subin, Perez pushed for legislation on predatory lending.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/archive/pr/2004/1022lending.pdf|title=Montgomery County Council From the Office of Council member Tom Perez Perez and Subin to Introduce Bill Focusing on Predatory Lending and Other Discriminatory Housing Practices|publisher=montgomerycountymd.gov|date=October 21, 2004|access-date=March 20, 2013|archive-date=April 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403021905/http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/archive/pr/2004/1022lending.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The law allowed the county's Commission on Human Rights to investigate and prosecute loan brokers and third-party lenders engaging in predatory lending, raised the cap on compensation for victims, and required the commission to release an annual report on discriminatory and subprime lending in the county.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/archive/pr/2004/1025tpmslending.pdf|title=Montgomery County Council From the Offices of Council member Tom Perez and Mike Subin Perez and Subin Push to End Predatory Lending Council members Support Expanding County's Fair Housing Law|publisher=montgomerycountymd.gov|date=October 24, 2004|access-date=March 20, 2013|archive-date=April 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403021853/http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/archive/pr/2004/1025tpmslending.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Perez opposed the privatization of the non-profit health insurer CareFirst, a non-stock holding, independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association that provided coverage in Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.<ref name="Tom Perez District 5 Update">{{cite web|url=http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/archive/pr/2003/0401tp5update.pdf|title=Tom Perez District 5 Update|publisher=montgomerycountymd.gov|date=March 31, 2003|access-date=March 20, 2013|archive-date=April 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403022342/http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/archive/pr/2003/0401tp5update.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbb.org/greater-maryland/business-reviews/hospitalization-medical-and-surgical-plans/carefirst-in-owings-mills-md-11001923|title=BBB BUSINESS REVIEW THIS BUSINESS IS NOT BBB ACCREDITED CareFirst, Inc.|publisher=Better Business Bureau|date=March 19, 2013|access-date=March 20, 2013|archive-date=May 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510225737/http://www.bbb.org/greater-maryland/business-reviews/hospitalization-medical-and-surgical-plans/carefirst-in-owings-mills-md-11001923|url-status=live}}</ref> He lobbied for support on the county council and in the Maryland General Assembly against the sale of CareFirst to Wellpoint (now Anthem).<ref name="Tom Perez District 5 Update" /> He led the council to a unanimous vote against the acquisition, leading to the rejection of the merger by Maryland's Commissioner of Insurance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/archive/pr/2003/0306tpcare.pdf|title=Montgomery County Council Statement by Councilmember Tom Perez on the Rejection of CareFirst Sale|publisher=montgomerycountymd.gov|date=March 6, 2003|access-date=March 20, 2013|archive-date=April 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403022356/http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/archive/pr/2003/0306tpcare.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 2004, Perez, and fellow council member Marilyn Praisner introduced an initiative to provide affordable prescription drugs for county employees and retirees,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/archive/pr/2004/0722drugs.pdf|title=Montgomery County Council From the Office of Councilmembers Tom Perez & Marilyn Praisner PEREZ, PRAISNER TO ANNOUNCE NEW PUSH ON AFFORDABLE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS|publisher=montgomerycountymd.gov|date=July 22, 2004|access-date=March 19, 2013|archive-date=April 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403021958/http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/archive/pr/2004/0722drugs.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> setting up a voluntary program to import high-quality, lower priced prescription drugs from suppliers in Canada approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/archive/pr/2004/0921drugs.pdf|title=Montgomery County Council|publisher=montgomerycountymd.gov|date=September 21, 2004|access-date=March 19, 2013|archive-date=April 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403021929/http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/archive/pr/2004/0921drugs.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The initiative was overwhelmingly passed by the council, though Montgomery County was denied a waiver by the FDA through the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm179367.htm|title=Maryland: County Executive Douglas Duncan|author=Randall W. Lutter, PhD|publisher=fda.gov|date=November 8, 2005}}{{dead link|date=May 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> leading to a lawsuit by Montgomery County against Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, where the U.S. District Court for Maryland granted the FDA the right to dismiss.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCOURTS-mdd-8_06-cv-00477/pdf/USCOURTS-mdd-8_06-cv-00477-0.pdf|title=IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND SOUTHERN DIVISION MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND Plaintiff, v. MIKE LEAVITT, et al., Defendants|author=gpo.gov|publisher=gpo.gov|date=August 22, 2006|access-date=March 19, 2013|archive-date=December 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213013518/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCOURTS-mdd-8_06-cv-00477/pdf/USCOURTS-mdd-8_06-cv-00477-0.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Maryland Attorney General campaign== After speculation arose that 20-year incumbent attorney general of Maryland J. Joseph Curran, Jr. would announce his retirement in 2006, Perez was seen as a top contender to replace Curran.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/001400/001493/pdf/dailyrec9may2006.pdf|title=LEGAL PROFESSION What's next for Joe Curran? Service, advocacy, a book — oh, and 'one more campaign', but not his own|newspaper=Maryland Daily Record|agency=Associated Press|author=Ann W. Parks|via=maryland.gov|date=May 9, 2006|archive-date=December 13, 2014|access-date=March 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213015744/http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/001400/001493/pdf/dailyrec9may2006.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 23, 2006, after Curran announced he would not run for re-election, Perez launched his candidacy, in a three-city tour with former Maryland Attorney General and United States Attorney Stephen H. Sachs.<ref name="Baltimore Sun 2006">{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2006/05/24/perez-enters-race-for-attorney-general/|title=Perez enters race for attorney general|author=Andrew A. Green|publisher=baltimoresun.com|date=May 24, 2006}}</ref> Perez was backed by labor groups such as Maryland's State Teachers Association and the Service Employees International Union.<ref name="Baltimore Sun 2006"/>
Perez's main challengers were Montgomery County State's Attorney Doug Gansler and Stuart O. Simms, a Baltimore lawyer who had served as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ww2.gazette.net/stories/042606/wheanew210957_31948.shtml|title=Dist. 5 future hinges on Curran|author=Janel Davis|publisher=gazette.net|date=April 26, 2006|access-date=March 26, 2013|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402204312/http://ww2.gazette.net/stories/042606/wheanew210957_31948.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> Gansler, who got an early start in campaign contributions, raised over $1.4 million, compared to Perez's $200,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/17/AR2006011701564.html|title=Duncan Lags Behind Rivals In Campaign Fundraising|author=Matthew Mosk, John Wagner|newspaper=Washington Post|date=January 18, 2006|archive-date=August 11, 2018|access-date=September 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811121556/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/17/AR2006011701564.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
During the campaign, questions were raised over whether Perez was permitted to run under Maryland's State Constitution, due to a requirement that candidates for attorney general must have at least 10 years of previous experience practicing law in Maryland; It wasn't until 2001 that Perez had become a member of the Maryland State Bar Association.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ww2.gazette.net/stories/071906/montcou192946_31947.shtml|title=Abrams sues over Perez's eligibility to enter race|author=Sean R. Sedam|publisher=gazette.net|date=July 19, 2006|access-date=March 26, 2013|archive-date=December 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215094310/http://ww2.gazette.net/stories/071906/montcou192946_31947.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> The lawsuit was filed by Stephen N. Abrams, a member of the Montgomery County Board of Education and the 2006 Republican candidate for Comptroller of Maryland.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/31/AR2006073101181.html|title=Experience Qualifies Perez to Run, Judge Rules|author=Eric Rich|newspaper=washingtonpost.com|date=August 1, 2006|archive-date=March 1, 2018|access-date=September 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301230112/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/31/AR2006073101181.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Abrams argued that it was "absolutely wrong to say that Perez met the 10-year requirement", after he was cleared by the Maryland State Board of Elections, and received legal advice from Attorney General Curran, who opined that Perez's time as a federal prosecutor in Maryland seemingly met the requirement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2006/07/14/suit-challenges-perez-candidacy/|title=Suit challenges Perez candidacy|author=Andrea F. Siegle|publisher=baltimoresun.com|date=July 14, 2006|access-date=October 9, 2024|archive-date=April 13, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250413103430/https://www.baltimoresun.com/2006/07/14/suit-challenges-perez-candidacy/|url-status=live}}</ref> The lawsuit, which was brought before the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, was rejected by that court two months before the primary. Abrams appealed, bringing the case before the Maryland Court of Appeals, Maryland's highest court.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2006/08/01/perez-allowed-to-keep-running/|title=Perez allowed to keep running|author=Andrea F. Siegle|publisher=baltimoresun.com|date=August 1, 2006|access-date=October 9, 2024|archive-date=February 21, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250221220250/https://www.baltimoresun.com/2006/08/01/perez-allowed-to-keep-running/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Court of Appeals rejected Perez's bid for attorney general.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.courts.state.md.us/coappeals/highlightedcases/abrams/motiontomodify82806.pdf|title=Abrams v Lamone, et al.|author=Maryland Court of Appeals|publisher=courts.state.md.us|date=August 25, 2006|access-date=March 26, 2013|archive-date=December 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201154806/http://www.courts.state.md.us/coappeals/highlightedcases/abrams/motiontomodify82806.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Perez then shifted his resources to support Martin O'Malley in his successful 2006 campaign for Governor of Maryland.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/25/AR2006082500874.html|title=Court Rejects Perez Bid, Early Voting Law in Md.|author=Steve Vogel, Ernesto Londoño|newspaper=washingtonpost.com|date=August 26, 2006|archive-date=December 10, 2016|access-date=September 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161210034728/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/25/AR2006082500874.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Maryland Secretary of Labor== In January 2007, newly elected Governor Martin O'Malley selected Perez to run the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bowiestate.edu/UploadedFiles/about/News/Dr_Lyons_Becomes_MHEC_Secretary.pdf |title=Former Bowie State University President to Become Next MHEC Secretary |publisher=bowiestate.edu |date=January 26, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511075703/http://www.bowiestate.edu/UploadedFiles/about/News/Dr_Lyons_Becomes_MHEC_Secretary.pdf |archive-date=May 11, 2013}}</ref>
In that role, Perez led efforts to target Maryland companies who were engaging in workplace fraud, imposing new restrictions on the employee misclassification as independent contractors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.carpenters.org/misclassification/ALL%20DOCUMENTS/Enforcing%20Change,%20Center%20for%20American%20Progress%2012-08.pdf |title=State and local innovations to protect workers' rights Maryland |author2=United Brotherhood of Carpenters |author=David Madland, Karla Walter |publisher=carpenters.org |date=December 2008}}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> He helped with the implementation of H.R. 1590, the Workplace Fraud Act of 2009, imposing penalties for employers who falsely classified their employees as independent contractors, actions involving tax evasion by the employers as well as the denial of worker protections and health insurance benefits to employees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dllr.state.md.us/whatsnews/testimonymisclass.shtml |title=Testimony of Thomas E. Perez, Secretary of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation HB 1590 House Economic Matters Committee |author=Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation |publisher=dllr.state.md.us |date=March 20, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130412120404/http://www.dllr.state.md.us/whatsnews/testimonymisclass.shtml |archive-date=April 12, 2013}}</ref> In May 2009, Governor O'Malley signed the act into law, with Perez saying that the act would "ensure that employers who attempt to cheat the system, their workers and their competitors, will pay a steep price for their actions".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dllr.maryland.gov/whatsnews/workplacefraud.shtml |title=Governor O'Malley Signs Workplace Fraud Act of 2009 |author=Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation |publisher=dllr.maryland.gov |date=May 7, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213015746/http://www.dllr.maryland.gov/whatsnews/workplacefraud.shtml |archive-date=December 13, 2014}}</ref>
Perez's official portrait as Maryland's Secretary of DLLR|right|thumb|170px In 2004, then-Governor Robert Ehrlich vetoed an attempt to implement a living wage law in Maryland.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2007/05/maryland_first_to_have_living.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130412065019/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2007/05/maryland_first_to_have_living.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 12, 2013 | title =Maryland First to Have 'Living Wage' Law | author =John Wahner | newspaper =washingtonpost.com | date =May 8, 2007}}</ref> Perez helped lead the reintroduction of a similar bill in 2007.<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324281004578356581889324790 | title =The Talented Mr. Perez | newspaper =Wall Street Journal | date =March 19, 2013 | archive-date =April 16, 2016 | access-date =August 8, 2017 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20160416122551/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324281004578356581889324790 | url-status =live }}</ref> After the bill passed and was signed by Governor O'Malley, Perez announced new provisions for out-of-state contractors and subcontractors doing business in Maryland, subjecting them to the same standards as in-state businesses.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dllr.maryland.gov/monthlynewsoct2007/ |title=Division of Labor and Industry NEW LIVING WAGE LAW |author=Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation |publisher=dllr.state.md.us |date=October 1, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112131546/http://dllr.maryland.gov/monthlynewsoct2007/ |archive-date=November 12, 2010}}</ref>
Perez was a top adviser to O'Malley on Maryland's healthcare workforce shortage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mhec.state.md.us/publications/finance/advisorycouncworkforceshortage.pdf |title=Maryland Higher Education Commission Office of Student Financial Assistance Report Of the Advisory Council on Workforce Shortage |author=Maryland Higher Education Commission |publisher=mhec.state.md.us |date=January 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103142043/http://www.mhec.state.md.us/publications/finance/AdvisoryCouncWorkforceShortage.pdf |archive-date=January 3, 2014}}</ref> Perez helped develop a plan relieving the chronic shortage of nurses in Maryland, allowing immigrants who have nursing qualifications in their home countries to have their certifications count towards becoming a registered nurse in the state.<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/10/23/ST2008102300319.html | title =Untapped Talents of Educated Immigrants | author =N.C. Aizenman | newspaper =washingtonpost.com | date =October 23, 2008 | archive-date =December 6, 2016 | access-date =September 17, 2017 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20161206003720/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/10/23/ST2008102300319.html | url-status =live }}</ref>
Perez served as co-chair of the Maryland Workforce Creation and Adult Education Transition Council, alongside Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick, after Governor O'Malley moved the Maryland Adult Education and Literacy Services Program, the adult correctional education, and the GED Testing Office from the Department of Education to the Department of Labor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/NR/rdonlyres/F457CA95-67F4-41B4-9D48-F978CFE8DC5C/16761/Announcement_of_Workforce_Creation_and_Adult_Educa.pdf |title=The Workforce Creation and Adult Education Transition Council |publisher=marylandpublicschools.org |date=May 16, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429043734/http://marylandpublicschools.org/NR/rdonlyres/F457CA95-67F4-41B4-9D48-F978CFE8DC5C/16761/Announcement_of_Workforce_Creation_and_Adult_Educa.pdf |archive-date=April 29, 2011}}</ref> The council oversaw the extensive transition process, while commissioning a report on proposals to revamp the state adult education system and identifying inefficiencies in the state correctional education budget.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dllr.maryland.gov/adulted/aecouncilback.shtml |title=Workforce Creation and Adult Education Workforce Creation and Adult Education Transition ANNOUNCEMENT from Thomas Perez and Nancy Grasmick, Co-chairs of The Workforce Creation and Adult Education Transition Council |author=Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation |publisher=dllr.state.md.us |date=May 16, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213015746/http://dllr.maryland.gov/adulted/aecouncilback.shtml |archive-date=December 13, 2014}}</ref> Though the shift of the programs to the DLLR was proposed to allow the state to save money and create a more unified workforce system,<ref>{{cite web | url =http://ww2.gazette.net/stories/032008/middnew62354_32355.shtml | title =State may shift adult education | author =Margarita Raycheva | publisher =gazette.net | date =March 20, 2008 | access-date =April 10, 2013 | archive-date =December 15, 2014 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20141215094307/http://ww2.gazette.net/stories/032008/middnew62354_32355.shtml | url-status =dead }}</ref> the decision was criticized by adult education providers in the state<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbc.org/media%20clips/June%20and%20July%202008/Other/072208-tdr.pdf |title=Oversight of adult education in state is moving to DLLR |newspaper=The Daily Record |author=Andy Rosen |publisher=gnc.org |date=July 22, 2008}}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> and was seen as a political move by O'Malley to undermine control of the agency by Superintendent Grasmick.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2008/12/08/after-stumble-perez-on-the-rise/ | title =After stumble, Perez on the rise | author =Laura Smitherman | publisher =baltimoresun.com | date =December 8, 2008}}</ref>
During his first term as governor, O'Malley pushed proposals to expand gambling in Maryland, with Perez spearheading the legalization of slot machines in the state.<ref name="Perez Nomination | Washington Post">{{cite news | url =https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-nominate-thomas-perez-as-next-labor-secretary/2013/03/09/8e34c546-88dd-11e2-999e-5f8e0410cb9d_story.html | title =Obama to nominate Thomas Perez as labor secretary | author =Sari Horwitz, Lena H. Sun | newspaper =washingtonpost.com | date =March 9, 2013 | archive-date =November 14, 2017 | access-date =September 17, 2017 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20171114211012/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-nominate-thomas-perez-as-next-labor-secretary/2013/03/09/8e34c546-88dd-11e2-999e-5f8e0410cb9d_story.html | url-status =live }}</ref> The legislation was a central part of a plan to raise revenue to close Maryland's budget deficit (keeping revenue from crossing state lines), though Perez was criticized by many in his own party who saw the measure as a regressive way to raise revenue.<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/11/AR2007111101412.html | title =Liberal Leads The Drive for Slots in Md. | author =Philip Rucker | newspaper =washingtonpost.com | date =November 12, 2007 | archive-date =May 31, 2016 | access-date =September 17, 2017 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20160531194928/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/11/AR2007111101412.html | url-status =live }}</ref> Perez commissioned a report led by the DLLR<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.governor.maryland.gov/documents/SlotsAndRacing.pdf |title=Slot Machines and the Racing Industry: A Review of Existing Data in Maryland and Neighboring States |author=Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation |publisher=maryland.gov |date=August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128152011/http://www.governor.maryland.gov/documents/SlotsAndRacing.pdf |archive-date=January 28, 2013}}</ref> arguing that the legalization of slots would be necessary to preserve Maryland's horse racing and breeding industries, with new revenue helping to address the issues of public education and school construction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dllr.state.md.us/racing/slots.shtml |title=Secretary Perez Joins Governor O'Malley as He Outlines a Plan to Recapture Slots Revenue for Maryland |author=Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation |publisher=dllr.state.md.us |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513065804/http://www.dllr.state.md.us/racing/slots.shtml |archive-date=May 13, 2013}}</ref> The plan was approved in a state referendum by voters in the 2008 election, allowing 15,000 new slot machines in the state.<ref>{{cite news | url =http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation-world/bal-te.slots05nov05,0,7246023.story | title =Laura Smitherman and Gadi Dechter | author =Laura Smitherman, Gadi Dechter | newspaper =Baltimore Sun | date =November 5, 2008 | archive-date =May 10, 2012 | access-date =May 3, 2013 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120510172516/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation-world/bal-te.slots05nov05,0,7246023.story | url-status =dead }}</ref>
==Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights== [[File:Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, official portrait.jpg|thumb|left|170px|Perez's official Justice Department portrait]] On March 31, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Perez to be Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice.<ref name=nominations>[http://judiciary.senate.gov/nominations/111thCongressExecutiveNominations/AssistantAttorneyGeneralCivilRights-TomPerez.cfm Nominations Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division - Thomas E. Perez] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007094631/http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/nominations/111thCongressExecutiveNominations/AssistantAttorneyGeneralCivilRights-TomPerez.cfm |date=October 7, 2009 }}, ''Judiciary.Senate.gov'', accessed October 7, 2009.</ref> The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Perez's nomination on April 29, 2009, and on June 4, 2009, the committee voted 17–2 to send Perez's nomination to the full Senate.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/2009/09/marylander_perez_may_soon_get.html | title =Marylander Perez may soon take Civil Rights helm at Justice | publisher =baltimoresun.com | date =September 14, 2009 | access-date =March 19, 2013 | archive-date =June 23, 2013 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20130623182020/http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/2009/09/marylander_perez_may_soon_get.html | url-status =live }}</ref> Perez's nomination then did not move forward for several months, amid questions by Republican senators about his record on immigration matters and a controversy over the Obama Justice Department's dismissal of a voter intimidation case against the militant New Black Panther Party.<ref>[http://www.mainjustice.com/2009/10/05/civil-rights-division-nominee-slated-for-senate-vote/ Civil Rights Division Nominee Slated for Senate Vote] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717002957/http://www.mainjustice.com/2009/10/05/civil-rights-division-nominee-slated-for-senate-vote/ |date=July 17, 2011}},''MainJustice.com'', October 5, 2009</ref> Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) characterized the opposition as foot-dragging and "posturing for narrow special interests".<ref name=baltsun /> On October 6, 2009, the full United States Senate confirmed Perez in a bipartisan 72–22 vote.<ref>{{USBill|111|PN|261|pipe=PN261: Thomas E. Perez, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Attorney General, vice Wan J. Kim. (111th Congress)}}</ref> Only two senators spoke out against the nomination: Tom Coburn (R-OK) and David Vitter (R-LA).<ref name=baltsun>West, Paul. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bal-perez1006,0,6457255.story Senate confirms Perez to civil rights post at Justice]{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}, ''Baltimore Sun'', October 7, 2009</ref>
Perez revamped Justice Department efforts in pursuing federal settlements and consent agreements under the Americans With Disabilities Act.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://danr.org/2013/04/17/danr-and-its-national-council-support-president-obamas-nomination-of-tom-perez-as-the%E2%80%A8-u-s-secretary-of-labor/ |title=DANR and its National Council Support President Obama's Nomination of Tom Perez as the U.S. Secretary of Labor |work=Dominican American National Roundtable |date=April 17, 2013 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515072630/http://danr.org/2013/04/17/danr-and-its-national-council-support-president-obamas-nomination-of-tom-perez-as-the%E2%80%A8-u-s-secretary-of-labor/ |archive-date=May 15, 2013}}</ref> One of Perez's main focuses was on the discrimination of individuals with HIV/AIDS, saying that it is "critical that we continue to work to eradicate discriminatory and stigmatizing treatment towards individuals with HIV based on unfounded fears and stereotypes".<ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/March/11-crt-354.html | title =Justice Department Issues Letter Regarding Illegal Exclusion of Individuals with HIV/AIDS from Occupational Training and State Licensing | author =United States Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs | publisher =justice.gov | date =March 21, 2011 | access-date =November 22, 2020 | archive-date =July 13, 2014 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20140713044718/http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/March/11-crt-354.html | url-status =live }}</ref>
Perez oversaw the division responsible for the implementation, and training of local enforcement in response to the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/Perez0612011.pdf |title=STATEMENT OF THOMAS E. PEREZ ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OVERSIGHT HEARING ON THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION |author=United States House Committee on the Judiciary |publisher=judiciary.house.gov |date=June 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227082036/http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/Perez0612011.pdf |archive-date=February 27, 2013}}</ref> including overseeing the first hate-crime conviction under the law, in the racially motivated murder of James Craig Anderson.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/Hearings%202012/Perez%2007262012.pdf |title=Department of Justice |author=United States House Committee on the Judiciary |publisher=judiciary.house.gov |date=July 26, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222014407/http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/Hearings%202012/Perez%2007262012.pdf |archive-date=February 22, 2013}}</ref> Perez endorsed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in 2009, citing it one of his "top priorities",<ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.justice.gov/crt/speeches/perez_testimony_11509.pdf | title =STATEMENT OF THOMAS E. PEREZ ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR AND PENSIONS UNITED STATES SENATE ENTITLED "EMPLOYMENT NON-DISCRIMINATION ACT: ENSURING OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL AMERICANS" | author =United States Department of Justice | publisher =justice.gov | date =November 5, 2009 | access-date =November 22, 2020 | archive-date =July 25, 2010 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100725211628/http://www.justice.gov/crt/speeches/perez_testimony_11509.pdf | url-status =live }}</ref> and at his first testimony after being confirmed as Assistant Attorney General, he said, "That LGBT individuals not being currently protected against discrimination in the workplace is perhaps one of the most gaping holes in our nation's civil rights laws."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.justice.gov/crt/speeches/perez_lgbt_heritage_speech.php | title =Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Thomas E. Perez at the Cleveland LGBT Heritage Celebration | location =Speech in Cleveland, Ohio | author =United States Department of Justice | publisher =justice.gov | date =October 12, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128062256/http://www.justice.gov/crt/speeches/perez_lgbt_heritage_speech.php | archive-date=November 28, 2010 | url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Student discrimination=== In 2009, the Civil Rights Division under Perez's tenure filed suit against a Herkimer County, New York school for "alleged violations of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/March/10-crt-340.html|title=Justice Department Settles with New York School District to Ensure Students Have Equal Opportunities|author=United States Department of Justice|publisher=justice.gov|date=March 30, 2010|access-date=November 22, 2020|archive-date=July 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713041507/http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/March/10-crt-340.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The plaintiff, a 14-year-old high school student from Mohawk, New York, who "dyes his hair, and wears make-up and nail polish",<ref name="J.L. v Mohawk Central School District">{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/crt/about/edu/documents/mohawkmotion.pdf|title=IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. MOHAWK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, et. al.|author=United States Department of Justice|publisher=justice.gov|date=January 14, 2010|access-date=November 22, 2020|archive-date=April 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402030916/http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/edu/documents/mohawkmotion.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> was reportedly subjected to verbal sex-based harassment and was "threatened, intimidated, and physically assaulted based on his non-masculine expression".<ref name="J.L. v Mohawk Central School District"/>
In J.L. v Mohawk Central School District, the settlement required the school district to begin "training staff in appropriate ways to address harassment", to "review its policies and procedures governing harassment" and "report to the New York Civil Liberties Union (which previously represented the student in the lawsuit), as well as the Department of Justice, on these efforts as well as its ongoing response".<ref name="nyclu">{{cite web|url=http://www.nyclu.org/case/jl-v-mohawk-central-school-district-challenging-school-districts-failure-protect-gay-student-ha|title=J.L. v. Mohawk Central School District (Challenging school district's failure to protect a gay student from harassment)|date=August 19, 2009|publisher=New York Civil Liberties Union|access-date=May 8, 2013|archive-date=May 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523062001/http://www.nyclu.org/case/jl-v-mohawk-central-school-district-challenging-school-districts-failure-protect-gay-student-ha|url-status=live}}</ref> This was the first time since the Clinton administration that Title IX was applied to gender identity discrimination.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mainjustice.com/2010/01/15/justice-department-cites-title-ix-on-behalf-of-gay-teen |title=Justice Department Cites Title IX on Behalf of Gay Teen |author=Ryan J. Riley |publisher=mainjustice.com |date=January 15, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424235316/http://www.mainjustice.com/2010/01/15/justice-department-cites-title-ix-on-behalf-of-gay-teen/ |archive-date=April 24, 2013}}</ref>
The Civil Rights Division reached a settlement {{When|date=May 2017}} with the Anoka-Hennepin School District in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, after the district school board voted to repeal its policy prohibiting teachers from mentioning homosexuality in the classroom.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/gay-bullying-protections-agreed-minnesota-school-district-422006|title=Gay Bullying Protections Agreed to By Minnesota School District|author=Jeremy White|website=International Business Times|date=March 7, 2012|access-date=May 10, 2013|archive-date=January 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150119144619/http://www.ibtimes.com/gay-bullying-protections-agreed-minnesota-school-district-422006|url-status=live}}</ref> Students who brought the lawsuit accused the district of creating a "hostile, anti-gay environment" and not doing enough to protect LGBT students.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-xpm-2012-mar-06-la-minnesota-school-district-gay-bullying-settlement-20120306-story.html|title=Minnesota school district settles suit on bullying of gay students|author=Ricardo Lopez|work=Los Angeles Times|date=March 6, 2012}}</ref> Perez praised the school board's decision, saying that the settlement is a "comprehensive blueprint for sustainable reform that will enhance the district's policies, training and other efforts to ensure that every student is free from sex-based harassment".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/local/north/141627793.html?refer=y|title=Anoka-Hennepin school settlement hailed as 'blueprint'|author=Maria Elena Baca|publisher=startribune.com|date=March 6, 2012|access-date=May 10, 2013|archive-date=January 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150119163353/http://www.startribune.com/local/north/141627793.html?refer=y|url-status=live}}</ref>
After a "comprehensive investigation" {{When|date=May 2017}} by the Civil Rights Division of a juvenile facility in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, Perez's division found multiple violations of due process and Miranda rights of African-American and disabled students at Meridian, Mississippi, schools by the Lauderdale County Youth Court, the Meridian Police Department and the Mississippi Division of Youth Services.<ref name="DOJ Miss">{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/August/12-crt-993.html|title=Justice Department Releases Investigative Findings Showing Constitutional Rights of Children in Mississippi Being Violated|author=United States Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs|publisher=justice.gov|date=August 10, 2012|access-date=November 22, 2020|archive-date=September 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903072634/http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/August/12-crt-993.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The investigation described local and state authorities of running a "school-to-prison pipeline",<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/10/us/mississippi-juvenile-justice|title=Feds: Mississippi county runs 'school-to-prison pipeline'|author=Michael Martinez|publisher=cnn.com|date=August 10, 2012}}</ref> by incarcerating students for minor school disciplinary infractions, such as violating school dress-code guidelines.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nation.time.com/2012/12/11/the-worst-school-to-prison-pipeline-was-it-in-mississippi/|title=The Worst "School-to-Prison" Pipeline: Was it in Mississippi?|author=Elisabeth Kauffman|publisher=Time|date=December 11, 2012|access-date=November 18, 2024|archive-date=November 28, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241128200412/https://nation.time.com/2012/12/11/the-worst-school-to-prison-pipeline-was-it-in-mississippi/|url-status=live}}</ref>
The Justice Department determined that a pattern existed of Mississippi authorities' failing to assess probable cause that unlawful offenses against the students had been committed, and that students were held in jail without the benefit of a hearing, a lawyer or Miranda rights;<ref name="DOJ Miss"/> with Perez claiming that "the systematic disregard for children's basic constitutional rights by agencies with a duty to protect and serve these children betrays the public trust".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/08/feds-authorities-in-meridian-miss-violated-rights-of-black-children|title=Feds: Authorities in Meridian, Miss. Violated Rights of Black Children|author=Jason Ryan|publisher=abcnews.go.com|date=August 10, 2012}}</ref>
===Police discrimination=== [[File:Thomas Perez--ADA Department of Justice.jpg|thumb|225px|Perez giving a speech in Washington, D.C., on July 26, 2012]] After the shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, in 2012, Perez was brought in by Representative Alcee Hastings and Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplet to investigate the police department's handling of the case.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/tom-perez-justice-department-trayvon-martin|title=Meet the Obama Official Investigating the Trayvon Martin Shooting|author=Adam Serwer|publisher=motherjones.com|date=March 23, 2012|access-date=July 9, 2018|archive-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510044602/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/tom-perez-justice-department-trayvon-martin/|url-status=live}}</ref> A full-scale investigation was later launched by the Civil Rights Division, where Perez led an inquiry on the shooting investigation. After a thorough investigation was promised by Attorney General Eric Holder, Perez went to Florida, meeting with U.S. Attorney Robert O'Neil, family members of Trayvon Martin, and local officials to investigate whether the shooting was a racially motivated hate crime.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/attorney-general-holder-vows-thorough-review-in-trayvon-martin-case/|title=Attorney General Holder vows thorough review in Trayvon Martin case|agency=Associated Press|publisher=cbsnews.com|date=April 11, 2012}}</ref> The Justice Department launched a probe into Sanford police chief Bill Lee, who was fired two months after the beginning of the investigation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/20/2860209/sanford-police-chief-bill-lee.html|title=Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee fired in wake of Trayvon Martin case|author=Meredith Rutland|publisher=miamiherald.com|date=June 20, 2012|access-date=May 15, 2013|archive-date=June 23, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623185857/http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/20/2860209/sanford-police-chief-bill-lee.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
After homeless Native American woodcarver John T. Williams was fatally shot by the Seattle Police Department in 2010, Perez led an eight-month investigation into the use of excessive force by the SPD.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2011-dec-16-la-na-justice-seattle-20111217-story.html|title=Justice Department says Seattle police used excessive force|author=Michael Muskal|work=Los Angeles Times|date=December 16, 2011|access-date=August 13, 2024|archive-date=January 23, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123084227/https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2011-dec-16-la-na-justice-seattle-20111217-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After the end of the Division's investigation, along with Jenny Durkan, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Western Washington, Perez released a report citing "constitutional violations regarding the use of force that result from structural problems, as well as serious concerns about biased policing" by the SPD.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Feds-findings-in-Seattle-Police-abuse-2407378.php|title=Feds: Seattle police show 'pattern of excessive force'|author=Levi Pulkkinen|publisher=seattlepi.com|date=December 16, 2011|access-date=May 15, 2013|archive-date=May 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523141709/http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Feds-findings-in-Seattle-Police-abuse-2407378.php|url-status=live}}</ref> A settlement was later reached between the Civil Rights Division and the city of Seattle requiring the city to create a Community Police Commission, have the SPD under the supervision of an independent, court-appointed monitor, and encouraging police officers to de-escalate nonviolent confrontations by decreasing their use of force.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2018790775_dojspd28m.html |title=SPD faces new oversight, scrutiny of use of force |author=Mike Carter, Steve Miletich |publisher=seattletimes.com |date=July 27, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531014024/http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2018790775_dojspd28m.html |archive-date=May 31, 2013}}</ref>
;Maricopa County, Arizona investigation In June 2008, the Civil Rights Division opened an investigation into the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, following allegations that the MCSO was engaged in a pattern of practice of unlawful conduct.<ref name="Arpaio Report">{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/crt/about/spl/documents/mcso_findletter_12-15-11.pdf|title=United States' Investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office|author=United States Department of Justice|publisher=justice.gov|date=December 15, 2011|access-date=November 22, 2020|archive-date=June 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606090334/http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/spl/documents/mcso_findletter_12-15-11.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
An expanded investigation leading into Perez's tenure over "discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2009/03/11/20090311investigation0311.html|title=Arpaio to be investigated over alleged violations|author=Daniel Gonzalez|newspaper=The Arizona Republic|date=March 11, 2009|archive-date=May 10, 2010|access-date=February 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100510073120/http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2009/03/11/20090311investigation0311.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> led to a lawsuit by the Justice Department after Arpaio rejected the department's request for documents regarding the investigation; this was the first time that the federal government sued a local law enforcement agency concerning Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 since the 1970s.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/28/arizona.sheriff.justice/index.html|title=Arizona sheriff challenges Justice Department's request for documents|publisher=cnn.com|date=August 28, 2010|archive-date=July 19, 2013|access-date=May 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719124125/http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/28/arizona.sheriff.justice/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/us/03sheriff.html|title=Justice Dept. Sues Sheriff Over Bias Investigation|author=Marc Lacey|newspaper=nytimes.com|date=September 2, 2010|archive-date=February 27, 2017|access-date=February 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227062649/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/us/03sheriff.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Perez released a 22-page report<ref name="Arpaio Report"/> on discriminatory and racial biases against Latinos by the MCSO and Arpaio.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/16/sheriff-joe-arpaio-slammed-in-federal-civil-rights-probe-report.html|title=Sheriff Joe Arpaio Slammed in Federal Civil Rights Probe Report|author=Terry Greene Sterling|publisher=thedailybeast.com|date=December 16, 2011|access-date=May 14, 2013|archive-date=July 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140721005855/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/16/sheriff-joe-arpaio-slammed-in-federal-civil-rights-probe-report.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The report found that the MCSO mistreated and used racial slurs against Spanish-speaking inmates; Latino drivers were four to nine times more likely than non-Latino drivers to be stopped in identical non-criminal instances; 20% of stops and seizures, almost all of them involving Latinos, were legally unjustified, violating the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution; and the MCSO and sheriff's deputies engaged in retaliation against individuals who participated in demonstrations against the office's policies regarding immigration.<ref name="Arpaio Report"/> Arpaio was also found to have used racial and ethnic description, such as "individuals with dark skin" and "individuals speaking Spanish" as justification for immigration raids on businesses and homes, while overlooking criminal activity, as vindication for immigration raids led by the MCSO.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/us/arizona-sheriffs-office-unfairly-targeted-latinos-justice-department-says.html?pagewanted=all|title=U.S. Finds Pervasive Bias Against Latinos by Arizona Sheriff|author=Marc Lacey|newspaper=nytimes.com|date=December 15, 2011|archive-date=February 26, 2017|access-date=February 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226215649/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/us/arizona-sheriffs-office-unfairly-targeted-latinos-justice-department-says.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}</ref>
In May 2012, after the end of a three-year investigation, Perez led his division in a lawsuit against Maricopa County, the MCSO and Arpaio, for violating Section 14141 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/May/12-crt-602.html|title=Department of Justice Files Lawsuit in Arizona Against Maricopa County, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, and Sheriff Joseph Arpaio|author=United States Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs|publisher=justice.gov|date=May 12, 2012|access-date=November 22, 2020|archive-date=July 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713052632/http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/May/12-crt-602.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Arpaio called the suit a political move by the Obama administration,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2012/0512/Will-Arizona-Sheriff-Joe-Arpaio-s-popularity-continue-amid-lawsuit|title=Will Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio's popularity continue amid lawsuit?|author=Amanda Lee Meyers|newspaper=Christian Science Monitor|date=May 12, 2012|archive-date=November 10, 2023|access-date=August 16, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110221148/https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2012/0512/Will-Arizona-Sheriff-Joe-Arpaio-s-popularity-continue-amid-lawsuit|url-status=live}}</ref> while Perez called the suit an "abuse-of-power case involving a sheriff and sheriff's office that disregarded the Constitution, ignored sound police practices, compromised public safety and did not hesitate to retaliate against his perceived critics".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/11/us/justice-department-sues-arizona-sheriff-joe-arpaio.html?_r=1&|title=Lawsuit Says Sheriff Discriminated Against Latinos|author=Fernanda Santos, Charlie Savage|newspaper=nytimes.com|date=May 10, 2012|archive-date=July 13, 2018|access-date=February 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713214923/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/11/us/justice-department-sues-arizona-sheriff-joe-arpaio.html?_r=1&|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Voting rights=== ====Voter ID laws==== The Obama administration directed Perez and the Civil Rights Division in challenging South Carolina's 2011 voter ID law, over concerns that the law violated Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2011-dec-23-la-na-voting-rights-20111224-story.html | title = Justice Department rejects South Carolina voter ID law | author = David G. Savage | work = Los Angeles Times | date = December 23, 2011 | access-date = August 13, 2024 | archive-date = October 14, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20241014202348/https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2011-dec-23-la-na-voting-rights-20111224-story.html | url-status = live }}</ref> Perez successfully blocked the law from taking effect, after the Justice Department alleged that South Carolina had failed to prove that the law would not have a disproportionate effect on minority voters.<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204552304577116951684553704#project%3DVoterID1111%26articleTabs%3Darticle | title =South Carolina Voter Law Barred by Administration | author =Evan Perez | newspaper =Wall Street Journal | date =December 24, 2011 | archive-date =September 15, 2017 | access-date =August 8, 2017 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20170915174802/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204552304577116951684553704#project%3DVoterID1111%26articleTabs%3Darticle | url-status =live }}</ref> In a letter to South Carolina's Deputy Assistant Attorney General, C. Havird Jones, Jr.,<ref name="Perez Jones Letter">{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/sec_5/ltr/l_122311.php |title=C. Havird Jones, Jr., Esq. Assistant Deputy Attorney General |author=United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division |publisher=justice.gov |date=December 23, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325172229/http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/sec_5/ltr/l_122311.php |archive-date=March 25, 2013}}</ref> Perez questioned whether 81,000 registered voters, all of whom were minorities who didn't have government-issued or military photo identification, would be able to exercise their right to vote, citing "significant racial disparities in the proposed photo identification requirement".<ref name="Perez Jones Letter"/>
Perez also oversaw the Obama administration's efforts in challenging a 2011 voter ID law signed by Texas Governor Rick Perry, the second voter ID law consequently found to have violated Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/justice-department-bars-texas-voter-id-law/2012/03/12/gIQAUzgW7R_story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121222180700/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-03-12/politics/35450319_1_voter-id-laws-library-card-or-board-combat-voter-fraud | url-status=live | archive-date=December 22, 2012 | title =Justice Department bars Texas voter ID law | author =Sari Horwitz | newspaper =washingtonpost.com | date =March 12, 2012}}</ref> Addressing the Supreme Court case Crawford v. Marion County Election Board, where the court upheld the constitutionality of Indiana's photo ID requirement, Perez argued that "[Texas's] submission did not include evidence of significant in-person voter impersonation not already addressed by the state's existing laws".<ref name="Perez Texas Letter">{{cite web | url= http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/sec_5/ltr/l_031212.php | title =Keith Ingram, Esq. Director of Elections | author =United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division | publisher = justice.gov | date =May 12, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308123901/http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/sec_5/ltr/l_031212.php | archive-date=March 8, 2013 | url-status=dead}}</ref> Perez also stressed data from the Texas Department of Public Safety that found that registered Hispanic voters were 46.5% to 120% less likely than non-Hispanic voters to have a government issued driver's license or state required photo ID.<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/us/justice-dept-blocks-texas-photo-id-law.html?_r=0 | title =Justice Dept. Blocks Texas on Photo ID for Voting | author =Charlie Savage | newspaper =nytimes.com | date =May 12, 2012 | archive-date =August 15, 2018 | access-date =February 25, 2017 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180815224809/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/us/justice-dept-blocks-texas-photo-id-law.html?_r=0 | url-status =live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.texastribune.org/texas-politics/voter-id/feds-reject-texas-voter-id-law/ | title =Feds Reject Texas Voter ID Law | author =Julián Aguilar | publisher =texastribune.org | date =March 12, 2012 | access-date =May 15, 2013 | archive-date =June 10, 2013 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20130610032148/http://www.texastribune.org/texas-politics/voter-id/feds-reject-texas-voter-id-law/ | url-status =live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url =http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/12/politics/texas-voter-law | title =Administration blocks Texas voter ID law | author =Bill Mears | publisher =cnn.com | date =March 12, 2012 | archive-date =January 6, 2015 | access-date =May 15, 2013 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20150106091702/http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/12/politics/texas-voter-law/ | url-status =live }}</ref>
====New Black Panther Party case==== On May 14, 2010, Perez testified to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights that political leadership was not involved in the decision to dismiss three of the four defendants in the NBPP case. However, on March 12, 2013, the Department of Justice Inspector General released a report stating that Perez's testimony did not reflect the entire story, as AAG Perelli and DAAG Sam Hirsch were involved in consultations on the case. However, the Inspector General found that Perez did not know about these consultations at the time of his testimony, and therefore he did not intentionally mislead the commission. However, because of his role as a Department witness, the Inspector General believed that Perez should have inquired further on this issue before testifying.<ref name="oigreport">{{cite report |date=March 12, 2013 |title=A Review of the Operations of the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division |url=https://www.justice.gov/oig/reports/2013/s1303.pdf |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General |access-date=May 3, 2013 |archive-date=May 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502173247/http://www.justice.gov/oig/reports/2013/s1303.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
In the same report, the Inspector General found that the Civil Rights Division exhibited a clear priority in enforcing the motor-voter provisions of the NVRA over the list-maintenance provisions. However, the Inspector General did not find sufficient evidence to conclude that these differences in enforcement were for political reasons.<ref name="oigreport" /> In particular, they found that Perez sent letters about list-maintenance enforcement in December 2010, so as not to be viewed as interfering with the 2010 elections.<ref name="oigreport" /> However, this letter provided no guidance on how states were to enforce list-maintenance procedures, instead leaving it up to the states.<ref name="justiceguide">{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/nvra/nvra_faq.php |title=Civil Rights Division NVRA FAQs |access-date=May 3, 2013 |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice}}</ref> Overall, the report stated that: "The conduct that we discovered and document in this report reflects a disappointing lack of professionalism by some Department employees over an extended period of time, during two administrations, and across various facets of the Voting Section's operations."<ref name="oigreport" />
==Secretary of Labor (2013–2017)== ===Nomination and confirmation=== [[File:Thomas Perez-DOL Nomination-.jpg|President Barack Obama and Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez during Perez's nomination for Secretary of Labor|thumb|225px|right]] On March 18, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Perez to be Secretary of Labor, succeeding outgoing Secretary Hilda Solis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/03/18/174631749/obama-nominates-thomas-perez-for-labor-secretary|title=Obama Nominates Thomas Perez For Labor Secretary|author=Eyder Peralta|publisher=npr.org|date=March 18, 2013}}</ref> Perez's nomination was criticized by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Pat Roberts (R-KS),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-03/obama-labor-pick-s-immigration-advocacy-tests-republicans.html|title=Obama's Labor Pick's Immigration Advocacy Tests Republicans|first=Laura|last=Litvan|publisher=Bloomberg News|date=April 2, 2013}}</ref> as well as the editorial board of the ''Wall Street Journal'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324281004578356581889324790|title=The Talented Mr. Perez How Obama's Labor nominee muscled a city to drop a Supreme Court case|work=Wall Street Journal|date=March 19, 2013|access-date=August 8, 2017|archive-date=April 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416122551/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324281004578356581889324790|url-status=live}}</ref> for his decision not to intervene in a whistleblower case against Saint Paul, Minnesota, in return for the city's dropping a case before the Supreme Court (''Magner v. Gallagher''), which could have undermined the disparate impact theory of discrimination.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/tom-perez-republicans-labor-secretary-housing-trayvon-martin-magner-gallagher-2013-3|title=Here's Why Republicans Already Hate Obama's Next Cabinet Nominee|author=Brett Loguirato|website=Business Insider|date=March 22, 2013|access-date=June 12, 2013|archive-date=May 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517074805/http://www.businessinsider.com/tom-perez-republicans-labor-secretary-housing-trayvon-martin-magner-gallagher-2013-3|url-status=live}}</ref> Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) opposed the nomination because of Perez's views on immigration and his association with CASA de Maryland, calling the nomination "an unfortunate and needlessly divisive nomination".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/obama-to-pick-tom-perez-for-labor-88973.html|title=President Obama nominates Tom Perez for Labor|first=Reid J.|last=Epstein|publisher=Politico|date=March 17, 2013|access-date=June 23, 2025|archive-date=January 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113123054/http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/obama-to-pick-tom-perez-for-labor-88973.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2013/03/18/Justice-official-to-be-nominated-to-top-Labor-slot.html|title=President nominates Thomas Perez as labor secretary|agency=Associated Press|work=Toledo Blade|date=March 21, 2013|access-date=June 12, 2013|archive-date=March 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311034158/http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2013/03/18/Justice-official-to-be-nominated-to-top-Labor-slot.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Perez's nomination was supported by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the committee that oversees the Department of Labor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-19/senate-republicans-say-perez-faces-questions-on-st-paul-case.html|title=Republicans Say Perez Faces Questions Over Housing Case|first1=Laura|last1=Litvan|first2=Phil|last2=Mattingly|publisher=Bloomberg News|date=March 19, 2013|access-date=March 12, 2017|archive-date=March 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311033525/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-19/senate-republicans-say-perez-faces-questions-on-st-paul-case.html|url-status=live}}</ref> His nomination was also supported by labor groups, such as the AFL-CIO and the United Farm Workers of America<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-xpm-2013-mar-10-la-na-labor-secretary-20130311-story.html|title=Obama to name civil rights enforcer Thomas Perez as Labor secretary|first1=Lisa|last1=Mascaro|first2=Don|last2=Lee|work=Los Angeles Times|date=March 10, 2013|access-date=August 13, 2024|archive-date=June 10, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610011327/https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-xpm-2013-mar-10-la-na-labor-secretary-20130311-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=http://ufwfoundation.org/_cms.php?mode=view&b_code=003002000000000&b_no=11471&page=1&field=&key=&n=894|title=UFW applauds Labor Secretary nominee Tom Perez's challenge to Arizona anti-immigrant law, looking forward to another champion for farm workers' rights|publisher=United Farm Workers of America|date=March 18, 2013|access-date=June 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311042122/http://ufwfoundation.org/_cms.php?mode=view&b_code=003002000000000&b_no=11471&page=1&field=&key=&n=894|archive-date=March 11, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> as well as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Women's Law Center.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/mar/18/obama-nominates-justice-official-top-labor-slot/#axzz2Vyyo4b5i|title=Obama nominates Justice official to top Labor slot|first1=Jim|last1=Kuhnhenn|first2=Sam|last2=Hannanel|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=Las Vegas Sun|date=March 18, 2013|archive-date=August 8, 2013|access-date=June 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808221729/http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/mar/18/obama-nominates-justice-official-top-labor-slot/#axzz2Vyyo4b5i|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.nwlc.org/press-release/nwlc-urges-senate-confirm-tom-perez-secretary-labor |title=NWLC Urges Senate to Confirm Tom Perez as Secretary of Labor |publisher=National Women's Law Center |date=May 16, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606142848/http://www.nwlc.org/press-release/nwlc-urges-senate-confirm-tom-perez-secretary-labor |archive-date=June 6, 2013}}</ref>
Thomas Perez at his Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of Labor|thumb|225px|left Republican members of the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform subpoenaed Perez's personal e-mails<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/gop-lawmakers-subpoena-emails-labor-nominee|title=GOP Lawmakers Subpoena Emails of Labor Nominee|first=Sam|last=Hanael|work=The Big Story|agency=Associated Press|date=April 11, 2013|access-date=June 12, 2013|archive-date=May 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505012333/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/gop-lawmakers-subpoena-emails-labor-nominee|url-status=live}}</ref> and released a 64-page report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DOJ-St-Paul.pdf|title=DOJ'S Quid Pro Quo with St. Paul: How Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez Manipulated Justice and Ignored the Rule of Law|publisher=United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform|date=April 15, 2013|access-date=June 12, 2013|archive-date=April 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130422095830/http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DOJ-St-Paul.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> into Perez's actions in the St. Paul whistleblower case, saying that Perez "manipulated justice and ignored the rule of law".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-xpm-2013-apr-18-la-na-perez-confirmation-20130419-story.html|title=Labor secretary nominee unscathed after hearing|first=Paul|last=West|work=Los Angeles Times|date=April 18, 2013|access-date=August 13, 2024|archive-date=November 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110145017/https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-xpm-2013-apr-18-la-na-perez-confirmation-20130419-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
At his confirmation hearing on April 18, 2013,<ref name="confhearing">{{Cite web|url=https://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/hearing-for-secretary-of-labor-designate-thomas-e-perez|title=Hearing for Secretary of Labor-Designate Thomas E. Perez |work= The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions|language=en|date=April 18, 2013|access-date=February 28, 2020}}</ref> Perez was questioned about his role in ''Magner v. Gallagher'' and the NBPP case as well as the Obama administration's plan to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/bs-xpm-2013-04-18-bs-md-tom-perez-labor-confirmation-20130418-story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429062225/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-04-18/news/bs-md-tom-perez-labor-confirmation-20130418_1_perez-u-s-justice-department-senate-health|url-status=live|archive-date=April 29, 2013|title=Labor nominee Perez faces sharp questions from GOP senators Critics focus on Marylander's time at Justice Department|first=John|last=Fritze|work=Baltimore Sun|date=April 18, 2013}}</ref>
The confirmation vote was delayed to May 8 to give Senate Democrats more time to review Perez's role in ''Magner v. Gallagher'',<ref name="assocpress">{{cite news|title=Thomas Perez Confirmation Vote Delayed By Senate Democrats|first=Sam|last=Hananel|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/senate-dems-postpone-vote-labor-nominee|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610221920/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/senate-dems-postpone-vote-labor-nominee |archive-date=June 10, 2015 |agency=Associated Press. ap.org|date=April 24, 2013}}</ref> and then to May 16,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/politico44/2013/05/perez-confirmation-vote-delayed-again-163514.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613063659/http://www.politico.com/politico44/2013/05/perez-confirmation-vote-delayed-again-163514.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 13, 2013|title=Perez confirmation vote delayed again|first=Josh|last=Gerstein|publisher=Politico|date=May 8, 2013}}</ref> at which time Perez's nomination cleared the committee on a party line vote of 12–10.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/05/16/labor-secretary-nominee-perez-clears-early-hurdle-in-confirmation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517005730/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/05/16/labor-secretary-nominee-perez-clears-early-hurdle-in-confirmation/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 17, 2013|title=Labor secretary nominee Perez clears early hurdle in confirmation|first=Josh|last=Hicks|newspaper=Washington Post|date=May 16, 2013}}</ref> Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) postponed a full Senate vote on the nomination until July.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-xpm-2013-may-21-la-na-pn-senate-july-filibuster-20130521-story.html|title=Reid to delay Senate votes on most Obama nominees until July|first=Michael A.|last=Memoli|work=Los Angeles Times|date=May 21, 2013}}</ref>
As Senate Democrats pushed in July 2013 to eliminate the filibuster for all executive-branch nominees, senators struck a deal for a Senate vote on Perez's nomination. On July 17, 2013, the Senate voted 60–40 for cloture on Perez's nomination, ending the filibuster.<ref>[https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=1&vote=00177 U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote], Senate.gov; retrieved August 12, 2013.</ref> On July 18, 2013, the Senate voted 54–46 to confirm Perez as Secretary of Labor.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ramsey |last=Cox |title=Senate confirms Perez as secretary of Labor |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/156687-senate-confirms-perez-as-secretary-of-labor/ |work=The Hill |date=July 18, 2013 |archive-date=July 18, 2023 |access-date=July 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718141606/https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/156687-senate-confirms-perez-as-secretary-of-labor/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It was the first Senate confirmation vote in history in which a cabinet member's confirmation received a party-line vote, something many press observers termed "historic".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-historical-oddity-thomas-perezs|title=The historical oddity of Thomas Perez's confirmation|publisher=MSNBC|date=July 18, 2013|access-date=August 12, 2013|archive-date=February 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209113931/http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-historical-oddity-thomas-perezs|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Actions=== Perez began his tenure by holding several meetings seeking to implement the Fiduciary Rule.<ref name="prospect">{{cite news|last1=Miller|first1=Justin|title=The Subtle Force of Tom Perez|url=http://prospect.org/article/subtle-force-tom-perez|access-date=November 24, 2016|work=The American Prospect|issue=Summer 2016|archive-date=November 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161113152423/http://prospect.org/article/subtle-force-tom-perez|url-status=live}}</ref> The Fiduciary Rule imposes a fiduciary level standard of care on retirement advisors forbidding them from receiving any commissions that create a conflict of interest.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fact Sheet: Middle Class Economics: Strengthening Retirement Security by Cracking Down on Conflicts of Interest in Retirement Savings|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/04/06/fact-sheet-middle-class-economics-strengthening-retirement-security|access-date=November 24, 2016|via=National Archives|work=whitehouse.gov|date=April 6, 2016}}</ref>
The rule was originally drafted in 2010 but had not been implemented after over 200 members of Congress sent letters urging the rule be withdrawn.<ref name=prospect/> Secretary Perez met with stakeholders during new rulemaking and then held a conference at the Center for American Progress, where he announced he was implementing the Fiduciary Rule on April 6, 2016.<ref name=prospect/> Congress passed legislation overturning the Fiduciary Rule, but it was vetoed by President Obama on June 9, 2016.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ebeling|first1=Ashlea|title=Obama Vetoes Resolution Against DOL Retirement Rule As Lawsuits Fly|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleaebeling/2016/06/08/obama-vetoes-resolution-against-dol-retirement-rule-as-lawsuits-fly/#6137bf9935c0|access-date=November 24, 2016|work=Forbes|date=June 8, 2016|archive-date=November 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124222208/http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleaebeling/2016/06/08/obama-vetoes-resolution-against-dol-retirement-rule-as-lawsuits-fly/#6137bf9935c0|url-status=live}}</ref>
thumb|165px|Perez with José Tomás Pérez, Dominican Republic Ambassador to the United States In May 2016, following several days of negotiations,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://khon2.com/2016/05/28/verizon-striking-labor-unions-reach-tentative-agreement-on-contract/|title=Verizon, striking labor unions reach tentative agreement on contract|first=Matt|last=Egan|work=KHON2|date=May 28, 2016|access-date=December 3, 2016|archive-date=October 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022212602/http://khon2.com/2016/05/28/verizon-striking-labor-unions-reach-tentative-agreement-on-contract/|url-status=live}}</ref> Verizon and striking labor union workers reached contract agreements at the Department of Labor headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Secretary Perez issued the Home Care Rule, requiring that home care workers for the elderly and/or people with disabilities receive minimum-wage and overtime compensation, effective January 1, 2015.<ref>{{cite news|title=Minimum wage, overtime protections extended to direct care workers by US Labor Department|url=https://www.dol.gov/whd/media/press/whdpressVB3.asp?pressdoc=national/20130917.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925205950/http://www.dol.gov/whd/media/press/whdpressVB3.asp?pressdoc=national/20130917.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 25, 2013|access-date=November 24, 2016|work=DOL Wage and Hour Division Press Release|date=September 17, 2013}}</ref> In December 2014, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon vacated the rule, finding it arbitrary and capricious.<ref>{{cite web|title=Important information regarding recent Home Care litigation in the U.S. District Court of D.C.|url=https://www.dol.gov/whd/homecare/litigation.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107185606/http://www.dol.gov/whd/homecare/litigation.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 7, 2015|publisher=DOL Wage and Hour Division|access-date=November 24, 2016}}</ref> In August 2015, Circuit Judge Sri Srinivasan, joined by Judges Thomas B. Griffith and Nina Pillard reversed, reinstating the rule. On June 27, 2016, the Supreme Court declined review.<ref>{{cite web|title=Home Care Ass'n of America v. Weil|url=http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/home-care-assn-of-america-v-weil|website=SCOTUSblog|access-date=November 24, 2016|archive-date=October 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026122350/http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/home-care-assn-of-america-v-weil/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Perez regularly made 'house calls' or onsite trips<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/may/21/tom-perez-labor-secretary-hillary-clinton|title='Tom Perez has guts': US labor secretary being eyed as Clinton's running mate|first=Jana|last=Kasperkevic|date=May 21, 2016|access-date=December 3, 2016|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> to obtain personal feedback and listen to workers who shared stories of their experiences. The Department of Labor launched a Veterans employment website to assist veterans with locating and utilizing employment resources.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.veterans.gov|title=Veterans.gov|access-date=December 3, 2016}}</ref>
Secretary Perez used the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 as authority to issue the Persuader Rule, which required an employer's attorney to publicly disclose advice given to persuade against unionization.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cassens Weiss|first1=Debra|title=Judge blocks new 'persuader rule' requiring disclosure of lawyer advice to employers on union issues|url=http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_blocks_new_labor_rule_requiring_disclosure_of_lawyer_advice_to_employ|access-date=November 20, 2016|work=ABA Journal|date=June 28, 2016|archive-date=November 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161120213113/http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_blocks_new_labor_rule_requiring_disclosure_of_lawyer_advice_to_employ/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Before the rule took effect on July 1, 2016, the National Federation of Independent Business sued. On June 26, U.S. District Judge Samuel Ray Cummings issued a nationwide injunction blocking the Persuader Rule, finding it was not authorized by the Act, and that it violated the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dubé|first1=Lawrence E.|title=DOL Persuader Rule Blocked by Federal Judge|url=http://www.bna.com/dol-persuader-rule-n57982082867|access-date=November 20, 2016|work=Bloomberg BNA Daily Labor Report|archive-date=November 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161120213852/http://www.bna.com/dol-persuader-rule-n57982082867/|url-status=live}}</ref> On August 25, Perez implemented the President's Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order.<ref>{{cite web|title=Executive Order 13673: Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces|url=https://www.dol.gov/asp/fairpayandsafeworkplaces/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920215753/https://www.dol.gov/asp/fairpayandsafeworkplaces/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 20, 2016|publisher=United States Department of Labor|access-date=November 24, 2016}}</ref> On October 4, U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone issued a nationwide injunction blocking the rule.<ref name="wsj16">{{cite news|last1=Trottman|first1=Melanie|title=Construction Trade Group Wins Injunction Blocking U.S. Federal Workplace Rule|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/construction-trade-group-wins-injunction-blocking-u-s-federal-workplace-rule-1477407170|access-date=October 26, 2016|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=October 25, 2016|archive-date=October 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025213138/http://www.wsj.com/articles/construction-trade-group-wins-injunction-blocking-u-s-federal-workplace-rule-1477407170|url-status=live}}</ref> Crone found the Constitution's Due Process Clause forbids the president from requiring federal contractors to disclose mere allegations that the contractor had violated labor laws.<ref name=wsj16/>
Perez issued a regulation attempting to double the maximum salary where overtime is required, effective December 1.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Brubaker Calkins|first1=Laurel|title=Obama White-Collar Overtime Pay Expansion Blocked by Judge|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-11-22/obama-white-collar-overtime-pay-mandate-blocked-by-judge|access-date=November 23, 2016|work=Bloomberg News|date=November 22, 2016|archive-date=November 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123084523/http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-11-22/obama-white-collar-overtime-pay-mandate-blocked-by-judge|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 22, U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant III, issued a nationwide injunction blocking the regulation, finding that the overtime pay rule was beyond the Secretary's authority under the Fair Labor Standards Act.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Booker|first1=Brakkton|title=Federal Judge Blocks Obama Administration's Overtime Pay Rule|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/22/503081151/federal-judge-blocks-obama-administrations-overtime-pay-rule|access-date=November 23, 2016|work=NPR|date=November 22, 2016|archive-date=November 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123065518/http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/22/503081151/federal-judge-blocks-obama-administrations-overtime-pay-rule|url-status=live}}</ref>
During the 2016 presidential election, Perez was mentioned as a possible running mate on the Democratic ticket with Hillary Clinton,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wbal.com/article/178274/124/former-maryland-cabinet-secretary-on-clinton-vp-short-list|title=Former Maryland Cabinet Secretary On Clinton VP Short List|website=wbal.com|date=July 22, 2016 |access-date=May 25, 2017}}</ref> but was ultimately not selected. Perez later campaigned for the Clinton-Kaine ticket.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}
Perez claimed that questions by the Donald Trump Presidential Transition team sent to the State and Energy Departments were illegal, but he said he was not aware of any similar 'blanket' probes having been sent to the Labor Department.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/labor-secretary-tom-perez-trump-transition-probes-illegal|title=Labor Secretary Tom Perez: Trump transition probes "illegal"|website=cbsnews.com|date=December 27, 2016|access-date=May 25, 2017}}</ref>
== Chair of the Democratic National Committee == Perez announced his candidacy for Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on December 15, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/14/politics/tom-perez-democratic-national-committee/index.html|title=Labor Secretary announces bid for DNC chair|author=Dan Merica|website=CNN|date=December 14, 2016|access-date=May 25, 2017}}</ref> Perez gave the keynote speech for the Maryland Democratic Party annual legislative luncheon on January 10, 2017, in Annapolis.<ref name="baltimoresun.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-democratic-legislative-luncheon-20170105-story.html|title=Labor Secretary Tom Perez, DNC chair hopeful, to speak at annual legislative luncheon in Annapolis|date=January 5, 2017|work=The Baltimore Sun|last1=Campbell|first1=Colin|archive-date=January 6, 2017|access-date=January 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106104127/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-democratic-legislative-luncheon-20170105-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Perez promised not to take money from federal lobbyists, foreign nationals, or current Labor Department employees.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/311492-perez-wont-take-lobbyists-money-for-dnc-election/ |title=Perez won't take lobbyists' money for DNC election |first=Ian |last=Swanson |date=December 22, 2016 |work=The Hill |access-date=May 25, 2017 |archive-date=December 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223080631/http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/311492-perez-wont-take-lobbyists-money-for-dnc-election |url-status=live }}</ref> His candidacy was endorsed by former Vice President Joe Biden and other Obama administration officials.<ref name="gdeben">{{cite news |last1=Debenedetti |first1=Gabriel |title=Perez elected DNC chairman |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/perez-elected-dnc-chairman-235392 |access-date=February 26, 2017 |work=Politico |date=February 25, 2017 |archive-date=November 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114235920/https://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/perez-elected-dnc-chairman-235392 |url-status=live }}</ref>
On February 25, 2017, Perez was elected DNC chair.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tom-perez-dnc-chair/|title=Tom Perez elected DNC chair|date=February 25, 2017|newspaper=CBS News|access-date=February 25, 2017|archive-date=November 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110145016/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tom-perez-dnc-chair/|url-status=live}}</ref> Perez won on the second ballot with 235 votes, beating nearest rival Representative Keith Ellison who earned 200 votes.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2017/2/25/14712454/tom-perez-elected-dnc-chair|title=Tom Perez was just elected DNC chair|last=Prokop|first=Andrew|date=February 25, 2017|website=Vox|access-date=February 25, 2017|archive-date=February 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226045844/http://www.vox.com/2017/2/25/14712454/tom-perez-elected-dnc-chair|url-status=live}}</ref> Perez was the first Latino DNC chair.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whnt.com/news/no-candidate-for-democratic-national-committee-elected-on-first-ballot/|title=Tom Perez elected as first Latino DNC chair|date=February 25, 2017}}</ref> After winning the election, Perez's immediate response was to make a motion to suspend the rules and recreate the (largely ceremonial) role of deputy chair, and to install Ellison into the office.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gambino|first=Lauren|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/25/tom-perez-democratic-chair-keith-ellison-atlanta-ballot|title=Tom Perez is new Democratic party chair, beating Keith Ellison in tight vote|date=February 26, 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=February 28, 2020|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Perez is the first Dominican-American to chair the Democratic National Committee.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.latina.com/lifestyle/politics/tom-perez-dnc-chair-candidate-interview|title=Dominicano Tom Perez Could Be the First Latino to Chair the Democratic National Committee|access-date=February 16, 2017|language=en|archive-date=February 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216014810/http://www.latina.com/lifestyle/politics/tom-perez-dnc-chair-candidate-interview|url-status=live}}</ref> He undertook a Unity Tour in 2017 with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders to promote the DNC.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/04/17/perez-sanders-tour-kicks-off-amid-progressive-skepticism/|first=David|last=Weigel|title=Perez-Sanders tour kicks off amid progressive skepticism|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=May 25, 2017|archive-date=May 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505191613/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/04/17/perez-sanders-tour-kicks-off-amid-progressive-skepticism/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/will-we-abandon-womens-rights-in-the-name-of-progressive_us_58fe3291e4b0f420ad99ca72|title=Will We Abandon Women's Rights In The Name Of Progressive Politics?|first=Rebecca|last=Traister|date=April 24, 2017|website=huffingtonpost.com|access-date=May 25, 2017|archive-date=May 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523122118/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/will-we-abandon-womens-rights-in-the-name-of-progressive_us_58fe3291e4b0f420ad99ca72|url-status=live}}</ref>
Following the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses, Perez received pressure from outside groups, including presidential candidate, Tulsi Gabbard, to resign as the DNC chair.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jacobs |first1=Emily |title=Tulsi Gabbard calls on DNC Chair Tom Perez to resign |url=https://nypost.com/2020/02/10/tulsi-gabbard-calls-on-dnc-chair-tom-perez-to-resign/ |website=New York Post |access-date=February 10, 2020 |date=February 10, 2020 |archive-date=February 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211125316/https://nypost.com/2020/02/10/tulsi-gabbard-calls-on-dnc-chair-tom-perez-to-resign/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lange |first1=Jeva |title=Furious Democrats call for Tom Perez's resignation after Iowa fiasco |url=https://theweek.com/speedreads/894676/furious-democrats-call-tom-perezs-resignation-after-iowa-fiasco |website=The Week |access-date=February 10, 2019 |date=February 7, 2020 |archive-date=February 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200208043626/https://theweek.com/speedreads/894676/furious-democrats-call-tom-perezs-resignation-after-iowa-fiasco |url-status=live }}</ref> Perez refused to resign, citing the amount of elections Democrats had won since he assumed the chairmanship in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fearnow |first1=Benjamin |title=Dnc Chair Tom Perez Hints That Iowa May Lose First Caucus, Rejects Calls to Resign: 'We Have Been Winning' |url=https://www.newsweek.com/dnc-chair-tom-perez-hints-that-iowa-may-lose-first-caucus-rejects-calls-resign-we-have-been-1486437 |website=Newsweek |access-date=February 10, 2020 |date=February 9, 2020 |archive-date=February 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210074519/https://www.newsweek.com/dnc-chair-tom-perez-hints-that-iowa-may-lose-first-caucus-rejects-calls-resign-we-have-been-1486437 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Duster |first1=Chandelis |title=DNC chairman says he won't step down after chaotic Iowa caucuses but expects review of state's first-in-nation status |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/09/politics/tom-perez-dnc-resignation-iowa-status-cnntv/index.html |website=CNN |access-date=February 10, 2020 |date=February 9, 2020 |archive-date=February 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210003612/https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/09/politics/tom-perez-dnc-resignation-iowa-status-cnntv/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In November 2020, Perez was reported to be a potential contender for United States Attorney General or Secretary of Labor in the Biden administration.<ref>{{cite news |title=Who Are Contenders for Biden's Cabinet? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/us/politics/biden-cabinet.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage |access-date=November 11, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=November 11, 2020 |archive-date=November 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115172328/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/us/politics/biden-cabinet.html?action=click&module=Top+Stories&pgtype=Homepage |url-status=live }}</ref>
Perez declined to run for reelection as DNC Chair in 2021, and Jaime Harrison was elected to succeed him on January 21, 2021.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kamisar |first1=Ben |title=DNC will elect new chair at Jan. 21 virtual Winter Meeting |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/blog/meet-press-blog-latest-news-analysis-data-driving-political-discussion-n988541/ncrd1252146#liveBlogHeader |website=NBC News |access-date=June 23, 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Greenwood |first1=Max |title=Democrats formally elect Harrison as new DNC chair |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/535329-democrats-formally-elect-harrison-as-new-dnc-chair |work=The Hill |access-date=June 23, 2021 |language=en |date=January 21, 2021 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624014611/https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/535329-democrats-formally-elect-harrison-as-new-dnc-chair |url-status=live }}</ref>
==2022 Maryland gubernatorial campaign== {{Main|2022 Maryland gubernatorial election}} thumb|Perez campaigning in November 2021 On June 23, 2021, Perez announced that he would be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Maryland in the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cramer |first1=Ruby |last2=Ferris |first2=Sarah |last3=Montellaro |first3=Zach |title=Tom Perez launches Maryland governor bid |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/22/tom-perez-maryland-governor-495588 |website=POLITICO |date=June 22, 2021 |access-date=June 23, 2021 |language=en |archive-date=June 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623004654/https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/22/tom-perez-maryland-governor-495588 |url-status=live }}</ref> His running mate was Shannon Sneed, a former member of the Baltimore City Council.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shwe |first1=Elizabeth |title=Perez Picks Sneed, Former Baltimore City Councilmember, as His Running Mate |url=https://www.marylandmatters.org/2022/02/03/perez-picks-sneed-former-baltimore-city-councilmember-as-his-running-mate/ |access-date=April 7, 2022 |work=Maryland Matters |date=February 3, 2022 |archive-date=April 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409084920/https://www.marylandmatters.org/2022/02/03/perez-picks-sneed-former-baltimore-city-councilmember-as-his-running-mate/ |url-status=live }}</ref> If elected, he would have become Maryland's first Latino governor.<ref>{{cite news |last1=DePuyt |first1=Bruce |title=Former Labor Secretary, DNC Chairman Tom Perez Launches Gubernatorial Bid |url=https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/06/23/former-labor-secretary-dnc-chairman-tom-perez-to-launch-gubernatorial-bid/ |access-date=July 15, 2022 |work=Maryland Matters |date=June 23, 2021 |archive-date=May 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531034255/https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/06/23/former-labor-secretary-dnc-chairman-tom-perez-to-launch-gubernatorial-bid/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Many labor groups issued early endorsements of Perez, including the Amalgamated Transit Union,<ref>{{cite news |last1=DePuyt |first1=Bruce |title=Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates Receive Flurry of Endorsements |url=https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/11/16/democratic-gubernatorial-candidates-receive-flurry-of-endorsements/ |access-date=April 7, 2022 |work=Maryland Matters |date=November 16, 2021}}</ref> American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gaines |first1=Danielle E. |last2=Shwe |first2=Elizabeth |title=AFSCME, Largest Employee Union in State Government, Endorses Perez for Governor |url=https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/10/27/afscme-largest-employee-union-in-state-government-endorses-perez-for-governor/ |access-date=April 7, 2022 |work=Maryland Matters |date=October 27, 2022 |archive-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408161759/https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/10/27/afscme-largest-employee-union-in-state-government-endorses-perez-for-governor/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the Communication Workers of America, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shwe |first1=Elizabeth |title=Perez Picks Up Union Endorsements in 2022 Race for Governor |url=https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/09/01/perez-picks-up-union-endorsements-in-2022-race-for-governor/ |access-date=April 7, 2022 |work=Maryland Matters |date=September 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408003519/https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/09/01/perez-picks-up-union-endorsements-in-2022-race-for-governor/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the Service Employees International Union.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gaines |first1=Danielle E. |title=Service Employees International Union Locals Endorse Perez in Democratic Gubernatorial Primary |url=https://www.marylandmatters.org/2022/03/14/service-employees-international-union-endorses-perez-in-democratic-gubernatorial-primary/ |access-date=April 7, 2022 |work=Maryland Matters |date=March 14, 2022}}</ref>
Perez received endorsements from various members of Congress, including members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shwe |first1=Elizabeth |title=Perez Picks Up Endorsements from Congressional Hispanic Caucus |url=https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/10/14/perez-picks-up-endorsements-from-congressional-hispanic-caucus/ |access-date=April 7, 2022 |work=Maryland Matters |date=October 14, 2021 |archive-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408003622/https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/10/14/perez-picks-up-endorsements-from-congressional-hispanic-caucus/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wiggins |first1=Ovetta |title=Nancy Pelosi endorses Tom Perez in Maryland governor's race |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/12/13/pelosi-endorse-perez-maryland-governor-race/ |access-date=April 7, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 13, 2021 |archive-date=December 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213193951/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/12/13/pelosi-endorse-perez-maryland-governor-race/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
On July 14, 2022, Perez's campaign announced that its workers had unionized with Campaign Workers Guild.<ref>{{cite news |last1=DePuyt |first1=Bruce |last2=Gaines |first2=Danielle |title=Notes: Poll Shows Blair Closing in on Elrich, Mizeur Launches Ad, Perez Campaign Unionizes, and More |url=https://www.marylandmatters.org/2022/07/16/notes-poll-shows-blair-closing-in-on-elrich-mizeur-launches-ad-perez-campaign-unionizes-and-more/ |access-date=July 16, 2022 |work=Maryland Matters |date=July 16, 2022}}</ref>
On July 19, 2022, Perez lost the primary, placing second behind Wes Moore, an author and U.S. Army veteran.<ref>{{cite news |title=2022 Maryland primary elections results |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/election-results/maryland/2022-primaries/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=July 22, 2022 |date=July 19, 2022 |archive-date=July 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721020612/https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/election-results/maryland/2022-primaries/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bowman |first1=Bridget |title=Wes Moore wins Democratic primary for Maryland governor |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meetthepressblog/wes-moore-wins-democratic-primary-maryland-governor-rcna39553 |access-date=July 22, 2022 |work=NBC News |date=July 22, 2022 |archive-date=July 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722143711/https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meetthepressblog/wes-moore-wins-democratic-primary-maryland-governor-rcna39553 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Biden White House== On June 12, 2023, President Biden named Perez to serve as senior advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Zeke |title=Biden bringing on ex-labor secretary and DNC chair Tom Perez to help with implementation push |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-politics/biden-bringing-on-ex-labor-secretary-and-dnc-chair-tom-perez-to-help-with-implementation-push/ |work=The Hill |agency=The Associated Press |access-date=July 16, 2023 |date=June 12, 2023 |archive-date=July 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716192248/https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-politics/biden-bringing-on-ex-labor-secretary-and-dnc-chair-tom-perez-to-help-with-implementation-push/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Perez participated in White House press conferences in the aftermath of the March 2024 Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Maryland.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kurtz |first1=Josh |title=Another critical hand on deck — Tom Perez |url=https://www.marylandmatters.org/2024/03/31/josh-kurtz-another-critical-hand-on-deck-tom-perez/ |access-date=April 1, 2024 |work=Maryland Matters |date=April 1, 2024 |archive-date=April 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401012419/https://www.marylandmatters.org/2024/03/31/josh-kurtz-another-critical-hand-on-deck-tom-perez/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Personal life== Perez owns a home in Takoma Park, Maryland, with his wife, Ann Marie Staudenmaier, an attorney with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and their three children.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lerer|first1=Lisa|title=Biden backs Tom Perez in race to lead Democratic Party|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-biden-perez-endorsement-20170201-story.html|access-date=April 9, 2017|work=The Baltimore Sun|date=February 1, 2017|quote=Perez – a 55-year-old Takoma Park resident, and former Montgomery County and Maryland state official – is a Dominican-American civil rights lawyer who grew up in the Rust Belt.|archive-date=April 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410052256/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-biden-perez-endorsement-20170201-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Almasy|first1=Steve|last2=Ansari|first2=Azadeh|title=Meet Tom Perez, the Democratic Party's next best hope|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/27/politics/tom-perez-profile/|access-date=April 9, 2017|work=CNN|date=February 27, 2017|quote=Perez is married to Ann Marie Staudenmaier, an attorney for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and the couple has three children.|archive-date=April 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410052039/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/27/politics/tom-perez-profile/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Perez is Catholic, and recalls that his parents told him, "In order to get to heaven, you have to have letters of reference from poor people."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/if-clinton-wins-thomas-perez-does-too-only-question-what-job-does-he-get/2016/07/05/d7e38480-4184-11e6-88d0-6adee48be8bc_story.html|title=If Clinton wins, Thomas Perez does, too. Only question: What job does he get?|newspaper=Washington Post|date=July 5, 2016|access-date=February 11, 2017|archive-date=February 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211160606/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/if-clinton-wins-thomas-perez-does-too-only-question-what-job-does-he-get/2016/07/05/d7e38480-4184-11e6-88d0-6adee48be8bc_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{ahnentafel |collapsed=yes |align=center |title=Ancestors of Tom Perez<ref name="Ancestry">{{cite news|last1=Núñez|first1=Milcíades Humberto|title=Thomas Edward Pérez: Ancestros dominicanos en el Gabinete de Obama|url=http://hoy.com.do/thomas-edward-perez-ancestros-dominicanos-en-el-gabinete-de-obama/|access-date=December 22, 2016|work=Cápsulas Genealógicas|agency=Instituto Dominicano de Genealogía|publisher=Hoy|date=July 26, 2013|language=es}}</ref> |boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; |boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; |boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; |boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; |boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe; | 1= 1. '''Thomas Edward Perez''' | 2= 2. Rafael Antonio Perez (''né'' ''Rafael Antonio de Jesús Pérez de Lara'', b. 1922) | 3= 3. Grace Perez (''née'' ''Altagracia Brache Bernard'') | 4= 4. José Pérez Nolasco (1883–?) | 5= 5. Ana de Lara Hernández (1890–?) | 6= 6. Rafael Ángel Brache Ramírez (1888–?) | 7= 7. Dolores Grecia Bernard González (1896–?) | 8= 8. Francisco Pérez Chávez (1848–?) | 9= 9. Concepción Nolasco Aguiar (1852–?) |10= 10. Eduardo de Lara Rojas |11= 11. Rómula del Carmen Hernández Hernández |12= 12. Elías Brache Soriano (1847-1912) |13= 13. María Apolonia Ramírez Melert |14= 14. N. Bernard Sánchez |15= 15. N. González |16= 16. José del Socorro Pérez Agüero (1818–?) |17= 17. Lorenza Chávez Contreras |18= 18. Matías Nolasco Román (1815–?) |19= 19. María Florencia Aguiar Carmona (1815–1885) |20= 20. Fernando de Lara Rojas |21= 21. María Francisca Rojas Guzmán |22= 22. Telésforo Hernández Trejo |23= 23. Anacleta de Jesús Hernández Camacho |24= 24. Justo Brache |25= 25. Francisca del Rosario Soriano |26= 26. Anselmo Ramírez de Arellano |27= 27. Isabel Julia Melert |28= 28. Juan Evangelista Bernard Rodríguez |29= 29. María Saturnina Sánchez Jiménez |30= |31= }}
==Honorary degrees== In 2014, Perez received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Brown University,<ref name="brownu">{{cite web|title=Brown confers nine honorary degrees|url=https://news.brown.edu/pressreleases/2014/05/hdcitations#Perez|publisher=Brown University|access-date=May 27, 2014|date=May 25, 2014|archive-date=May 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528024637/http://news.brown.edu/pressreleases/2014/05/hdcitations#Perez|url-status=dead}}</ref> an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Drexel University School of Law,<ref name="Drexel">{{cite web|title=U.S. Labor Secretary Exhorts Class of 2014 to Play in the 'Orchestra of Opportunity'|url=http://drexel.edu/law/news/articles/overview/2014/May/drexel-law-commencement-secretary-perez-05212014/#.U4U0byiGvyU|publisher=Drexel University|access-date=May 27, 2014|date=May 22, 2014|archive-date=April 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422123900/http://drexel.edu/law/news/articles/overview/2014/May/drexel-law-commencement-secretary-perez-05212014/#.U4U0byiGvyU|url-status=live}}</ref> and an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Oberlin College.<ref>{{cite web|title=Oberlin College Commencement|url=http://new.oberlin.edu/events-activities/commencement/|website=oberlin.edu|publisher=Oberlin College|access-date=June 3, 2014|archive-date=March 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324044303/http://new.oberlin.edu/events-activities/commencement/|url-status=live}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * [https://tomperez.com/ Campaign website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106161133/https://tomperez.com/ |date=January 6, 2022 }} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20011109090244/http://www.dol.gov/_sec/ About Secretary Thomas Perez] at the United States Department of Labor * {{C-SPAN|1012176}}
{{s-start}} {{s-legal}} {{s-bef|before=Wan Kim}} {{s-ttl|title=United States Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights|years=2009–2013}} {{s-aft|after=Jocelyn Samuels<br>Acting}} |-` {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Hilda Solis}} {{s-ttl|title=United States Secretary of Labor|years=2013–2017}} {{s-aft|after=Alex Acosta}} |- {{s-bef|before=Julie Rodriguez}} {{s-ttl|title=Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs|years=2023–2025}} {{s-aft|after=Alex Meyer}} |- {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Donna Brazile<br>Acting}} {{s-ttl|title=Chair of the Democratic National Committee|years=2017–2021}} {{s-aft|after=Jaime Harrison}} |- {{s-prec|usa}} {{s-bef|before=Anthony Foxx|as=Former U.S. Cabinet Member}} {{s-ttl|title=Order of precedence of the United States<br>''{{small|as Former U.S. Cabinet Member}}''|years=}} {{s-aft|after=Jeh Johnson|as=Former U.S. Cabinet Member}} {{s-end}}
{{Democratic State Chairs}} {{USSecLabor}} {{Obama cabinet}} {{Democratic Party (United States)}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Tom}} Category:1961 births Category:2004 United States presidential electors Category:21st-century Maryland politicians Category:American civil rights lawyers Category:American politicians of Dominican Republic descent Category:Biden administration personnel Category:Brown University alumni Category:Candidates in the 2022 United States elections Category:Canisius High School alumni Category:Catholics from New York (state) Category:Catholic politicians from Maryland Category:County commissioners in Maryland Category:Democratic National Committee chairs Category:George Washington University faculty Category:Harvard Law School alumni Category:Hispanic and Latino American members of the Cabinet of the United States Category:Harvard Kennedy School alumni Category:Lawyers from Buffalo, New York Category:Living people Category:Maryland Democrats Category:Obama administration cabinet members Category:People associated with the 2020 United States presidential election Category:People from Takoma Park, Maryland Category:Politicians from Buffalo, New York Category:Senior advisors to the president of the United States Category:State cabinet secretaries of Maryland Category:United States assistant attorneys general for the Civil Rights Division Category:United States secretaries of labor Category:University of Maryland, Baltimore faculty