Peter N. Kirsanow

Peter N. Kirsanow was nominated February 10, 2006, by President George W. Bush to be a member of the National Labor Relations Board. Kirsanow would replace Ronald E. Meisburg. Kirsanow was appointed to the Board on January 4, 2006, by President Bush in a recess appointment.

Previously, Kirsanow was nominated for Board on November 16, 2005, by President Bush. His nomination was sent to the Senate on November 16, 2005, but he was not confirmed.

Appointment protest
Senators Harry Reid and Edward M. Kennedy and AFL-CIO President John Sweeney "all expressed disappointment with Bush's recess appointment of Peter Kirsanow to the National Labor Relations Board, citing his record as a member" of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. "'He is an ardent foe of basic worker protections, including the minimum wage and basic worker protections, including the minimum wage and prevailing wage laws, and is a vehement opponent of affirmative action,' Kennedy said." 

Profiles
According to his U.S. Commission on Civil Rights profile, Peter N. Kirsanow, "affiliation Republican," is "a partner with the law firm Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan, and Aronoff LLP in the Labor and Employment Practice Group. He focuses his practice on representing management in employment-related litigation as well as in contract negotiations, NLRB proceedings, EEO matters, and arbitration. He frequently testifies before and advises members of the U.S. Congress on various employment laws and issues. Mr. Kirsanow formerly served as senior labor counsel of Leaseway Transportation Corp. and labor counsel for the city of Cleveland. He has extensive experience in public sector employment matters as well as in industries such as heavy manufacturing, trucking, health care, radio and television, and employee leasing. Mr. Kirsanow is chair of the board of directors of the Center for New Black Leadership and is on the advisory board of the National Center for Public Policy Research. He received his B.A. in 1976 from Cornell University and his J.D. with honors in 1979 from Cleveland State University, where he served as articles editor of the Cleveland State Law Review."

Affiliations

 * Long-time member of the "African-American leadership group" Project 21 - "a program of the National Center for Public Policy Research."
 * "Earlier in his career, Mr. Kirsanow practiced law with Calfee, Halter & Griswold, LLP."

By Peter Kirsanow

 * "Michigan impossible. Grutter compliance may be a problem," National Review Online, July 1, 2003.
 * "Still unconstitutional. Supreme discrimination," National Review Online, September 30, 2003.
 * "The Felon Franchise. A partisan prison strategy," National Review Online, January 8, 2004.
 * "Viva Biscet! A true revolutionary," National Review Online, January 22, 2004.
 * "The Florida Myth Spreads. Another 'stolen election'," National Review Online, January 10, 2005.
 * "Dean on Defense. The 'White Christian' party," National Review Online, June 10, 2005.
 * "The Mass Confusion Act. The push for loose elections standards," National Review Online, June 29, 2005.
 * OpEd: "In Case You Missed It: His Only Preference: Fairness," Boston Herald (GOP.com), August 27, 2005.
 * Testimony of Peter Kirsanow, Esq., Partner Benesch Fiedlander Coplay & Aronoff; Commissioner - U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, on the Nomination of Judge John G. Roberts, Jr. to the United States Supreme Court, September 15, 2005.
 * "Mainstream Sam. Alito on civil rights," National Review Online, December 15, 2005. re Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.
 * "Misrepresenting Sam. Alito Precision," National Review Online, January 4, 2006.
 * "Alito Accuracy. He’s exercised respect for the law," National Review Online, January 6, 2006.

Profiles

 * Profiles of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission Commissioners.
 * Speaker Profile: Peter Kirsanow, Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs at Ashland University, November 18, 2004.

Articles & commentary

 * "Congressional Hearings to be Held June 7 on 'Regulatory Barriers to Minority Entrepreneurs'. Project 21 Member Peter Kirsanow Among Those to Testify," Project 21 News (NationalCenter.org), June 7, 1995.
 * Gregory J. Hand, "Civil Rights for Dummies," Enter Stage Right, December 10, 2001.
 * W. James Antle III, "Conflict at the Civil Rights Commission," Political USA, December 10, 2001.
 * DeWayne Wickham, "Bush defangs civil rights panel," USA Today, December 11, 2001: "In a late-night ceremony last week, the White House had a judge swear in Peter Kirsanow as a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which earlier this year chastised Gov. Jeb Bush, the president's brother, and Katherine Harris, the secretary of state, for their role in last year's election debacle in Florida."
 * Darryl Fears, "Lawsuit Is Filed to Seat Bush Rights Panel Choice," Washington Post (jessejacksonjr.com), December 11, 2001.
 * Neil A. Lewis, "No Room for Bush's Civil Rights Appointee," New York Times (civilrights.org), February 5, 2002.
 * "U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to Appeal Adverse Decision in Dispute Over Commissioner Terms. Welcomes Peter Kirsanow as Newest Commissioner," U.S. Civil Rights Commission, May 14, 2002.
 * "Civil restraint: the U.S. commission on civil rights fought tooth and nail to prevent the presidential appointment of conservative Cleveland labor attorney Peter Kirsanow. Why do his views frighten the civil-rights group?" Inside Business, June 2002.
 * "ADC Calls for the Removal of U.S. Civil Rights Commissioner," bintjbeil.com, July 20, 2002.
 * Bill Gallagher, "White House Lacks Moral Authority to Clean Up America's Boardrooms," Niagara Falls Reporter, July 23, 2002: "A guy named Peter Kirsanow says he can see a scenario where the public would demand internment camps for Arab-Americans and the government would yield to that pressure. ... If there's another terrorist attack on America, he says, 'and they come from the same ethnic group that attacked the World Trade Center, you can forget about civil rights. ... Not too many people will be crying in their beer if there are more detentions, more stops, more profiling. ... There will be a groundswell of public opinion to banish civil rights.'"
 * Emil Guillermo, "Dangerous Talk," San Francisco Chronicle, July 30, 2002.
 * Joel Wendland, "Bush appointee favors concentration camps," People's Weekly World, August 3, 2002: "Kirsanow, speaking during a USCCR hearing in Detroit on July 19, raised the possibility of internment camps for the mass detention of Arab Americans."
 * "Peter Kirsanow Gets His Seat," The Agitator, November 20, 2002.
 * Larry Elder, "A million black voters disenfranchised," Townhall.com, August 12, 2004.
 * Nancy, "Special Favors on Special Report," News Hounds, December 8, 2004.
 * Fred Barbash, "Peter Kirsanow - for Roberts," Washington Post Blog, September 15, 2005.
 * Statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on Appointment of Peter Kirsanow to the National Labor Relations Board, Common Dreams, January 5, 2006: "In his writings and during his prior public service, Mr. Kirsanow has taken stands against the minimum wage, affirmative action, prevailing wages, voting rights legislation and other basic protections for workers and citizens, and he has expressed a marked hostility to unions."
 * "Senator Kennedy on the Recess Appointment of Peter Kirsanow," TedKennedy.com, January 5, 2006.
 * Deb Reichmann, "Bush recess appointments meet with protest," Associated Press (Mercury News), January 5, 2006.
 * Bill Berkowitz, "Cronies, chums and Bush surrogates get government posts", Media Transparency, January 10, 2006. ("Peter Kirsanow, a Black conservative lawyer who represents management in disputes with labor, was handed a recess appointment to the National Labor Relations Board").