Administrative law judges from the United States Department of Labor's Office of
Administrative Law Judges preside over formal hearings concerning many
labor-related matters. The office's mission is to render fair and equitable
decisions under the governing law and the facts of each case.
Hearings concerning black lung benefits and longshore workers' compensation
constitute the largest part of the office's work. The Department's
administrative law judges, however, also hear and decide cases arising from over
80 labor-related statutes and regulations, including, for example, such diverse
subjects as
grants administration relating to training of the unskilled and
economically disadvantaged
enforcement actions involving the working conditions of migrant farm laborers
disputes involving child labor violations
hearings on mine safety variances
OSHA formal rulemaking proceedings
contract disputes
civil fraud in federal programs
employee polygraph tests
certain recordkeeping required by ERISA
standards of conduct in union elections.
The Office of Administrative Law Judges is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Since cases are heard throughout the country, however, District Offices are
located in:
Boston, Massachusetts
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cincinnati, Ohio
Covington, Louisiana
Newport News, Virginia
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
San Francisco, California
This office has been an innovator in administrative-adjudication with
projects such as implementation of a computerized case-tracking system in the
early 1980s, establishment of uniform rules of practice and procedure and rules
of evidence that mirror the Rules of Civil Procedure and Rules of Evidence for
the United States District Courts, development of a series of Judges' Benchbooks
to assist judges in research on important case areas, implementation of a
settlement judge procedure for alternative dispute resolution, and
the use of electronic media for the
dissemination of the Department's adjudicative decisions.
