FILE - In this Thursday, May 10, 2012 file photo, United States Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, left, who heads up the civil rights division at the Department of Justice, is joined by Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Roy Austin, as Perez announces a federal civil lawsuit against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio during a news conference in Phoenix, after months of negotiations failed to yield an agreement to settle allegations that Arpaio's department racially profiled Latinos in his trademark immigration patrols. Two people familiar with the process say President Barack Obama is close to naming Perez as his choice to head the Department of Labor. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is close to naming Thomas Perez, a civil rights official in the Justice Department, as his choice to head the Department of Labor, two people familiar with the process say. His nomination could come as early as Monday, the people familiar with the process said Saturday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak prior to the official announcement. If confirmed, Perez would replace Hilda Solis, who resigned in January. He is expected to have solid support from organized labor as well as the Hispanic community, which is eager to have representation in Obama's second-term Cabinet. Solis was the first Hispanic woman to head an agency at the Cabinet level. At the Justice Department, Perez played a leading role in the decision to challenge voter ID laws in Texas and South Carolina that could restrict minority voting rights. In exchange, the Justice Department declined to join two whistle-blower lawsuits against St. Paul that could have returned millions of dollars in damages to the federal government.