WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is poised toselect Justice Department official Thomas
Perez to be the next laborsecretary, according to two people familiar with the deliberationprocess.Perez’
nomination to the Labor Department could come asearly as Monday, the people familiar with the process said
Saturday.They spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcementhas not yet been made. White
House spokesman Matt Lehrich declined tocomment.Perez, 51, has led the Justice Department’s Civil
RightsDivision since 2009 and previously served as Maryland’s labor secretary.He is expected to have solid
support from organized labor and theHispanic community, which is eager to have Hispanic representation
inObama’s cabinet.Perez was the first Latino elected to theMontgomery County Council in Maryland, where he
served from 2002 to2006. If confirmed, he would replace Hilda Solis, who resigned inJanuary to return to her
native California.Perez would come tothe Labor Department as Obama pushes a major immigration overhaul,
whichcould include changes in how employers hire guest workers. LaborDepartment officials have also taken a
prominent role in supportingObama’s effort to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 anhour.At the
Justice Department, Perez has played a leading rolein the agency’s decision to challenge voter ID laws in
Texas and SouthCarolina that could restrict minority voting rights. A federal courtlater struck down the
Texas law and delayed implementation of the law inSouth Carolina until after the 2012 election.Perez was
easilyconfirmed by the Senate for his Justice Department post, but since then,some GOP lawmakers have
criticized his role in persuading the city ofSt. Paul, Minn., to withdraw a lending discrimination lawsuit
from theSupreme Court. In exchange, the Justice Department declined to join twowhistle-blower lawsuits
against St. Paul that could have returnedmillions in damages to the federal government.The St. Paul casehad
challenged the use of statistics to prove race discrimination underthe 1968 Fair Housing Act, and Justice
Department officials wereconcerned the court could strike down the practice.A letter lastyear from four
Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Chuck Grassley ofIowa and Rep. Darrell Issa of California, criticized
Perez for a "quidpro quo arrangement" that potentially cost taxpayers more than
$180million.Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.