Watch Now


FMC names new chief administrative law judge

Erin Wirth succeeds Clay Guthridge, who retired last week after serving 13 years as the Federal Maritime Commission’s chief administrative law judge.

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has elevated Erin M. Wirth to the position of chief administrative law judge.
    Wirth has served as an administrative law judge at the commission since 2010. She succeeds Clay Guthridge, who retired last week after serving as chief administrative law judge at the FMC for the past 13 years and 38 years overall in the federal government.
   FMC administrative law judges preside over adjudicatory hearings resolving cases of alleged violations of the Shipping Act and other laws within the commission’s jurisdiction.
   “Judge Wirth assumes her new duties well prepared to serve given her extensive experience at this agency, in the community and in the legal profession more broadly,” said FMC Chairman Michael Khouri in a statement.
   Before joining the FMC, Wirth served as an administrative law judge in the Social Security Administration. Her previous legal experience includes work as a litigator in both the public and private sectors. 

Chris Gillis

Located in the Washington, D.C. area, Chris Gillis primarily reports on regulatory and legislative topics that impact cross-border trade. He joined American Shipper in 1994, shortly after graduating from Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Md., with a degree in international business and economics.