The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published final regulations for the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Program in the Federal Register on March 20, 2007 with an effective date of April 19, 2007. The purpose of the revised regulations is to update outdated information, remove the internal examining processes from the regulations, and describe OPM and agency responsibilities concerning the ALJ Program. The final rule is grounded in the core legal requirement that administrative law judges be independent in matters of appointment, tenure, and compensation.
Additionally, OPM is issuing a qualification standard for ALJ positions on April 20, 2007, the day after the regulations become effective. The Qualification Standard for Administrative Law Judge Positions will be published on OPM's website at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/alj/alj.asp.
The new ALJ examination is under development and will be released soon after the effective date of the regulations. It will be announced on OPM's USAJOBS website at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Daniel Fusco, Manager, Recruiting, Examining, and Assessment by email Daniel.Fusco@opm.gov, by telephone (202) 606-0830, or by fax (202) 606-2390.
cc: Human Resources Directors