When Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Thomas Moore retired in October 2011 after serving three terms, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was split evenly along party lines. There were two republicans, Nancy Nord and Anne Northup, and two democrats, Robert Adler and Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. Now it seems President Obama's nomination of democrat Marietta Robinson will again give democrats the edge.
Marietta Robinson has been a trial lawyer in Michigan for thirty three years, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. Additionally, for eight years Robinson served as the federally appointed trustee of the Dalkon Shield Trust, a trust that paid billions to women who used the Dalkon Shield contraceptive. Robinson threw her hat in the ring for a seat on the Michigan Supreme Court in 2000 and 2002.
The CPSC works to "protect the public against unreasonable risks of injury associated with consumer products." CPSC Commissioners are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Robinson told the Washington Post that she was honored to be nominated and hoped to get through Senate confirmation quickly.