Perez draws attention for attorney general

WASHINGTON

Marylander Thomas E. Perez, who has served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor for a little more than a year, is now being eyed for an even more prominent position in President Barack Obama's second-term Cabinet: successor to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.

Perez, a former Maryland labor secretary and Justice Department official, is emerging as a candidate in part because of his extensive legal background but also because he has a close relationship with the president and shares a similar political worldview, supporters said.

White House aides declined to discuss the process publicly, but an official familiar with the effort confirmed Perez is one of several people under consideration. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. and Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in New York, are among others whose names have been floated for the job.

Perez, a 52-year-old Takoma Park resident, joined the Justice Department in 1989 and was named head of the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation under Gov. Martin O'Malley in 2007. He returned to Justice in 2009 to lead the department's civil rights division.

He also served on the Montgomery County Council and worked for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat, who died in 2009.

"He understands the importance of fairness and opportunity," said Victoria Schultz, associate dean at the University of Baltimore School of Law, who worked for Perez at the civil rights division. "He doesn't make decisions lightly, and he likes to listen to everybody around the table."

Despite many strengths, Perez's selection also would pose serious challenges for the Obama administration. As a practical matter, shifting Perez from one Cabinet post to another would require two confirmation battles in the Senate one for Perez at Justice and another for his replacement at Labor.

And if Perez's confirmation to lead Labor last year is any indication, he would likely face resistance on Capitol Hill. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell referred to him then as a "crusading ideologue," and he was confirmed only as part of a broader deal to avoid wholesale change to Senate rules.

Republicans, led by Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, criticized Perez over what they described as a "shady" deal in which the Justice Department allegedly dropped a lawsuit against the city of St. Paul, Minn., in 2012 in exchange for the city dropping separate civil rights litigation against the federal government.

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Perez draws attention for attorney general