Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, AGENCY NEWS: It’s Official! Bill Baer to serve as Acting Associate Attorney General, (Apr 11, 2016)

By Jeffrey May, J.D.

After more than three years running the Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Bill Baer will serve as Acting Associate Attorney General, effective April 17, 2016. Baer moves into the Justice Department’s third-ranking post with the departure of Stuart Delery. Unofficial reports of the move were widely circulated last week; however, official word did not come until today.

Noting Baer’s accomplishments in the Antitrust Division, as well as his work at the FTC, Attorney General Lynch praised the outgoing antitrust chief’s "keen intelligence, strong judgment and consummate skill."

"In the last few years alone, he has led the Antitrust Division to new heights—unlocking $400 million in relief for consumers in a case against Apple’s price-fixing of e-books; achieving a record $2.5 billion in fines in a case that exposed a scheme by Citicorp, JPMorgan Chase, Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland and others to rig the foreign currency exchange spot market; and standing up against corporate behavior that would have damaged our markets and hurt consumers in industries from beer and wine to airlines and phone companies," Lynch said in announcing the appointment. "With his hard work and unwavering dedication, he has earned the trust and respect of Justice Department employees at every level. I could not imagine a better individual to fill Stuart Delery’s shoes as Associate Attorney General of the United States."

With Baer’s move, it is anticipated that Renata Hesse, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Criminal and Civil Operations in the Antitrust Division, will assume the role of acting antitrust chief. Hesse previously served as acting assistant attorney general in charge of the Antitrust Division following the resignation of Acting Assistant Attorney General Joseph Wayland in 2012, while Baer was awaiting Senate confirmation.

News: Antitrust AntitrustDivisionNews