President Obama Re-nominates Richard Cordray for CFPB Director, Nominates Mary Jo White for SEC Chair

CFPB SEC Single-Director Structure

On January 24, President Obama announced his re-nomination of current CFPB Director Richard Cordray. Mr. Cordray has led the Bureau since January 2012 when President Obama used his recess appointment authority to install the CFPB director. Absent Senate confirmation, Mr. Cordray’s recess appointment expires at the end of this year. Further, the constitutionality of that appointment may be called into question by a recent federal appellate court decision addressing other recess appointments. Also on January 24, President Obama nominated Mary Jo White for Senate confirmation to serve as Chairman of the SEC. Ms. White is a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, during which time she led high-profile prosecutions of organized crime members and terrorists. Most recently she was in private practice.