Julie A. Su (born February 19, 1969) is an American attorney who has served as United States deputy secretary of labor since 2021. Before assuming that post, she was the California Labor Secretary, serving under Governor

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California fr ...

, and headed California's Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) under Governor

Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of S ...

Early life and education

Su was born in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

to Chinese immigrants. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

. She started her legal career at Asian-Pacific American Legal Center. She was a Litigation Director for Advancing Justice L.A., a non-profit civil rights organization. She was the lead attorney for the El Monte Thai Garment Slavery Case. As the lead for civil case brought by the El Monte garment workers, Su successfully pursued a legal theory that held manufacturers responsible for the wage theft, as well as the operators who actually kept the garment workers captive. She and other activists also petitioned for the workers to be able to stay in the United States under a visa program for those who cooperate with the government in criminal trials. This led to the creation of the T-Visa for victims of human trafficking.

Career

During Jerry Brown's tenure as governor, Su headed California's Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE). Under Governor

, Su served as Secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

Potential Labor Secretary Nomination

In November 2020, Su was named as a potential candidate to serve as

Secretary of Labor The United States Secretary of Labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the United States Department of Labor, controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all ot ...

in the Biden administration. Su's prospective candidacy was opposed by business groups and congressional Republicans, who referenced her leadership of California's unemployment agency during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, when millions of applicants had their claims delayed or frozen, while up to $31 billion was sent to fraudulent claimants (including to criminals belonging to national and international crime rings and inmates in the state's prison system). Opposition also centered on her enforcement of California's controversial employment law, AB 5.

Deputy Labor Secretary nomination

On February 10, 2021, Su was nominated by President Biden to be the Deputy Secretary of Labor under Secretary Marty Walsh.

Asian-American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

leaders, including members of the

Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is a caucus consisting of members of the United States Congress who are Asian American and Pacific Islander ( AAPI), and who have a strong interest in advocating and promoting issues and ...

, had lobbied the Biden Administration to appoint her as Deputy Secretary after she wasn't chosen to lead the department. The

Senate HELP Committee The United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) generally considers matters relating to these issues. Its jurisdiction also extends beyond these issues to include several more specific areas, as defined by Sena ...

held hearings on Su's nomination on March 16, 2021. The committee favorably reported her nomination to the Senate floor on April 21, 2021. On July 13, 2021, Su was confirmed to the role by the Senate, in a 50–47 vote.

Awards

Skadden Fellowship Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates is an American multinational law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1948, the firm consistently ranks among the top U.S. law firms by revenue. The company is known for its wor ...

*2001

MacArthur Fellows Program The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 ind ...

*1996 Reebok International Human Rights Award

Works

*"Making the Invisible Visible: The Garment Industry's Dirty Laundry" ''University of Iowa Journal on Gender, Race & Justice'' (winter 1997–1998) * "Critical Coalitions," (with

Eric Yamamoto Eric Yamamoto (publishing as Eric K. Yamamoto), the Korematsu Professor of Law and Social Justice at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law, is an internationally recognized expert on issues of racial justice, i ...

) ''Critical Race Theory: An Anthology'' * "Workers at the Crossfire: Immigration Enforcement to Preserve Capital," in ''Unfinished Liberation'' (Joy James, ed. Colorado University Press 1999) * ''Social Justice: Professionals, Communities and Law'' (Martha Mahoney, John O. Calmore, Stephanie M. Wildman 2003).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Su, Julie A 1969 births American politicians of Chinese descent 21st-century American women lawyers Biden administration cabinet members California lawyers Harvard Law School alumni Living people MacArthur Fellows Stanford University alumni State cabinet secretaries of California United States Deputy Secretaries of Labor Wisconsin lawyers