FMC names new chief administrative law judge

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has elevated Erin M. Wirth to the position of chief administrative law judge.
    Wirth has served as an administrative law judge at the commission since 2010. She succeeds Clay Guthridge, who retired last week after serving as chief administrative law judge at the FMC for the past 13 years and 38 years overall in the federal government.
   FMC administrative law judges preside over adjudicatory hearings resolving cases of alleged violations of the Shipping Act and other laws within the commission’s jurisdiction.
   “Judge Wirth assumes her new duties well prepared to serve given her extensive experience at this agency, in the community and in the legal profession more broadly,” said FMC Chairman Michael Khouri in a statement.
   Before joining the FMC, Wirth served as an administrative law judge in the Social Security Administration. Her previous legal experience includes work as a litigator in both the public and private sectors.