Peter Kirsanow

Education

Kirsanow received his Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University in 1976 and then in 1979 received his Juris Doctor cum laude from the Cleveland State University College of Law, where he served as articles editor of the Cleveland State Law Review.

Career

Kirsanow served as labor counsel for the City of Cleveland and as senior labor counsel of Leaseway Transportation Corp.

Kirsanow was appointed to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights by President George W. Bush in December 2001, but Chairwoman Mary Frances Berry told the White House that it would take federal marshals to seat Kirsanow, fighting his appointment all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In May 2002, the United States Department of Justice prevailed in its lawsuit to seat Kirsanow as a member of the Commission. He was re-appointed by President Bush to serve a second six-year term on the commission, and then re-appointed once more by U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan.

President Bush appointed Kirsanow to the five-member NLRB in 2006 for two years, where he was involved with significant decisions including Oakwood Healthcare, Inc., Dana/Metaldyne and Oil Capital Sheet Metal, Inc. In 2008, Kirsanow returned to the Cleveland law firm of Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP, where he is a partner with the firm's Labor & Employment Practice Group and a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee. He represents management in employment-related litigation, contract negotiations, NLRB proceedings and EEO matters.

Kirsanow has written articles for National Review since 2003. Kirsanow testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the nominations of John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, and at the confirmation hearing for Jeff Sessions nomination for United States Attorney General.{{cite AV media

Bar admissions and associations

• Ohio, 1979
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, 1984
• U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit

Memberships

• Past Chair of the Board of Directors, The Center for New Black Leadership
• Member of the Advisory Board of the National Center for Public Policy Research
• Adjunct Professor, Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, 1992-1993
• Member, National Labor Relations Board, 2006-2008
• Commissioner, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2002-

Books

• "Target Omega" (2017)
• "Second Strike" (2018)

References

References

1. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/designation-of-chairmen-and-acting-chairmen/
2. "Peter N. Kirsanow {{!}} U.S. Commission on Civil Rights".
3. "Peter Kirsanow". Ashbrook Center at Ashland University.
4. "Peter N. Kirsanow". Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP.
5. (18 May 2002). "No Warm and Fuzzy Welcome for Peter Kirsanow". Fox News.
6. "Peter Kirsanow Archive". National Review Online.
7. Davis, Marcia. (16 September 2005). "John Roberts and a Judge of History". Washington Post.
8. Lowry, Rich. (6 June 2006). "Alito's true bias". Jewish World Review.
9. Kroll, Kathryn. (15 June 2009). "Cleveland lawyer Peter Kirsanow to testify Thursday at hearing for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor". The Plain Dealer.
10. (1 July 2010). "Testimony of Peter N. Kirsanow Before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Nomination of Elena Kagan to the United States Supreme Court".
11. "Peter Kirsanow". Mediation.com.