An independent hearing examiner who presides at an administrative hearing. An Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) has the power to administer oaths, receive evidence, take testimony, and make initial findings of fact or law. An ALJ's findings are subject to review and modification by agency heads. An ALJ may also be referred to as:

ALJs who work in federal government agencies are appointed under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. §§ 556 to 557 and 5 C.F.R. §§ 930.201 to 930.211). Federal agencies, such as the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), also employ Administrative Judges (AJs), who perform many of the same functions as ALJs but are not appointed under the APA.

ALJs from the US Department of Labor's Office of Administrative Law Judges preside over formal hearings concerning many labor-related matters, including claims related to:

Administrative Law Judges that preside over unemployment insurance hearings and appeals are quasi-judicial agents housed in the Department of Labor, but their decisions are autonomous from the Department of Labor's decisions.

The MSPB's Office of the Administrative Law Judge presides over selected cases brought by the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) and appeals of personnel actions taken against other ALJs and MSPB employees.