President Appoints Edith Ramirez To Head FTC — Commission Dynamics Set To Change

President Obama has appointed sitting FTC Commissioner Edith Ramirez to serve as the agency's next Chairman.  Ramirez took over her new post on March 4 and she is expected to remain as Chairman at least through the end of her current term, set to expire in September 2015.  Ramirez takes over from former Chairman Jon Leibowitz, who left the agency on March 1.  Her appointment as Chairman did not require Senate approval because she already had been confirmed by the Senate (in 2010) to serve as a Commissioner.  Ramirez's elevation, and the departure of Leibowitz, will undoubtedly alter the decisionmaking dynamics at the FTC, and we expect to see a somewhat more conservative approach to antitrust enforcement, particularly during the near term.