WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama intends to name Edith
Ramirez the chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, a White House official
said on Thursday.
Ramirez has been an FTC commissioner since April 2010.
She was a Los Angeles lawyer specializing in business litigation before joining
the commission.
The FTC works to protect consumers from unfair business
practices and maintain competition in the marketplace.
Ramirez would
replace outgoing Chairman Jon Leibowitz, who handled high-profile, anti-trust
cases against Intel Corp and Google Inc during his tenure.
Ramirez would
not require Senate confirmation.
In her law career, Ramirez represented
corporations like Mattel Inc and Northrop Grumman Corp.