Section 458.76 - Duties and powers of the Administrative Law JudgeIt shall be the duty of the Administrative Law Judge to inquire fully into the facts as they relate to the matter before him and to prepare, serve and submit his recommended decision and order pursuant to § 458.88 . Upon assignment to him and before transfer of the case to the Administrative Review Board, the Administrative Law Judge shall have the authority to:
(a) Grant requests for appearance of witnesses or production of ducuments;(b) Rule upon offers of proof and receive relevant evidence;(c) Take or cause depositions to be taken whenever the ends of justice would be served thereby;(d) Limit lines of questioning or testimony which are immaterial, irrelevant, or unduly repetitious;(e) Regulate the course of the hearing and if appropriate, exclude from the hearing persons who engage in misconduct and strike all related testimony of witnesses refusing to answer any questions ruled to be proper;(f) Hold conferences for the settlement or simplification of the issues by consent of the parties or upon his own motion;(g) Dispose of procedural requests, motions, or similar matters which shall be made part of the record of the proceeding, including motions to amend pleadings; also to recommend dismissal of cases or portions thereof, and to order hearings reopened prior to issuance of his recommended decision and order;(h) Examine and cross-examine witnesses and introduce into the record documentary or other evidence;(i) Request the parties at any time during the hearing to state their respective positions concerning any issue in the case or theory in support thereof;(j) Continue, at his discretion, the hearing from day-to-day, or adjourn it to a later date or to a different place, by announcement thereof at the hearing or by other appropriate notice;(k) Take official notice of any material fact not appearing in evidence in the record, which is among the traditional matters of judicial notice and also concerning which the Department of Labor by reason of its functions is presumed to be expert: Provided, That the parties shall be given adequate notice, at the hearing or by reference in the Administrative Law Judge's recommended decision and order, of the matters so noticed, and shall be given adequate opportunity to show the contrary;(l) Correct or approve proposed corrections of the official transcript when deemed necessary; and(m) Take any other action necessary under the foregoing and not prohibited by these regulations.45 FR 15158, Mar. 7, 1980. Redesignated and amended at 50 FR 31311, 31313, Aug. 1, 1985; 78 FR 8026 , Feb. 5, 2013