Deborah Platt Majoras Named FTC Chairman

Deborah Platt Majoras was sworn in today as Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. President Bush nominated Majoras on May 11, 2004, and announced his intention to appoint her to the position on July 30, 2004.

Majoras served as a partner in the antitrust section at Jones Day in Washington, DC, and also was a member of the firm’s technology issues practice.

She previously served as deputy assistant attorney general and principal deputy at the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division. During her tenure, she served as chair of the International Competition Network’s (ICN) Merger Working Group and oversaw policy initiatives such as the FTC/DOJ Health Care Hearings, DOJ’s Merger Review Process Initiative, and the Mergers Best Practices Project.

Majoras holds a bachelor’s degree from Westminster College and a J.D. from the University of Virginia. She is a member of the American Bar Association’s Section of Antitrust Law, where she served as vice chair of the Section 2 Committee and as a member of the Long-Range Planning Committee. Majoras also served as a non-governmental advisor to the ICN and was named by President Bush to serve on the Antitrust Modernization Commission.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish (bilingual counselors are available to take complaints), or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.htm. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.