[Updated (2/17/2017, 10:27 a.m.) with a statement from the university.]
R. Alexander Acosta, dean of Florida International University’s College of Law, is President Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, the president announced on Thursday.
Mr. Acosta, a former U.S. attorney, will replace Mr. Trump’s former nominee, Andrew Puzder, who withdrew from the nomination after facing broad opposition from Republicans in the U.S. Senate.
Mr. Acosta has served as the university’s law dean since 2009. Before that, he clerked for a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, worked at the Kirkland & Ellis law firm, and taught at the George Mason School of Law, according to his university bio.
The Senate has confirmed Mr. Acosta for three previous positions, including a seat on the National Labor Relations Board.
In a written statement, Mark B. Rosenberg, Florida International’s president, said that Mr. Acosta is a “thoughtful, conscientious American.”
“We are proud that he is the first Hispanic nominated to serve in President Trump’s cabinet,” Mr. Rosenberg said.
Correction (2/16/2017, 2:51 p.m.): This post originally misstated Mr. Acosta’s previous position at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He clerked for a judge there; he was not a judge. The post has been updated to reflect this correction.