Post Date: October 30, 2006
On Wednesday, October 25, Harvard Law graduate R. Alexander Acosta ’94, was formally sworn in as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, Jr.
Confirmed on June 9, Acosta is one of the youngest U.S. attorneys on record. With a career that began as a clerk for Justice Alito, Acosta moved on to the Washington office of Kirkland & Ellis, where he specialized in employment and labor issues. A member of the National Labor Relations Board and a principal deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division, Acosta was the first Hispanic to head the Justice Department’s civil rights office.
“Our job is, and must be, to bring high-impact cases,” said Acosta during his swearing in ceremony. Having recently implemented a task force targeting violators of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, he has already tackled several significant cases.
A Miami native, Acosta said he was deeply honored by the opportunity to serve the citizens of South Florida.