Proposed Rule2026-06445
Administrative Law Judges; Withdrawal
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 2, 2026
Issuing agencies
Personnel Management Office
Abstract
The Office of Personnel Management is clarifying its withdrawal of a proposed rule published on September 21, 2020. The notice of proposed rulemaking, among other things, proposed revising OPM's regulations governing the appointment and employment of administrative law judges (ALJs). OPM is withdrawing the proposed rule.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 63 (Thursday, April 2, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 63 (Thursday, April 2, 2026)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 16584]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-06445]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 63 / Thursday, April 2, 2026 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 16584]]
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
5 CFR Parts 212, 213, 302, and 930
[Docket ID: OPM-2025-0274]
RIN 3206-AN72
Administrative Law Judges; Withdrawal
AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Withdrawal of proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is clarifying its
withdrawal of a proposed rule published on September 21, 2020. The
notice of proposed rulemaking, among other things, proposed revising
OPM's regulations governing the appointment and employment of
administrative law judges (ALJs). OPM is withdrawing the proposed rule.
DATES: OPM withdraws the proposed rule as of April 2, 2026.
ADDRESSES: The docket for this withdrawn rule is available at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/OPM-2025-0274">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/OPM-2025-0274</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael J. Mahoney (202) 936-3265 or
email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dabfb7aab6b5a39ab5aab7f4bdb5ac"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="12777f627e7d6b527d627f3c757d64">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 21, 2020, the Office of
Personnel Management (OPM) published a notice of proposed rulemaking
(NPRM or proposed rule) titled ``Administrative Law Judges'' in the
Federal Register. See 85 FR 59207. The NPRM proposed to revise OPM's
regulations governing the appointment and employment of administrative
law judges (ALJs). The proposed rule would have implemented Executive
Order (E.O.) 13843 titled ``Excepting Administrative Law Judges from
the Competitive Service.'' It would have updated the rules for ALJ
hiring in light of the 2018 creation of schedule E of the excepted
service for ALJs and updated the existing ALJ employment regulations to
reflect other changes in the law.
In response to the NPRM, OPM received approximately 41 comments
during the 60-day comment period which ended on November 20, 2020.
OPM is withdrawing this proposal as the comments are over five
years old, and agencies have implemented E.O. 13843. OPM plans to
propose regulatory changes to implement Schedule E as part of another
rulemaking later this year that will overhaul the excepted service
regulations to reflect a variety of legal changes. See RIN 3206-AO92.
OPM hereby withdraws the NPRM.
Signing Statement
The Director of OPM, Scott Kupor, reviewed and approved this
document and has authorized the undersigned to electronically sign and
submit this document to the Office of the Federal Register for
publication.
Office of Personnel Management.
Jerson Matias,
Federal Register Liaison.
[FR Doc. 2026-06445 Filed 4-1-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-39-P
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