It shall be the duty of the Administrative Law Judge to inquire fully into the facts as they relate to the matter before such judge. Subject to the rules and regulations of the Board and the General Counsel, an Administrative Law Judge presiding at a hearing may:

(a) Grant requests for subpoenas pursuant to §1429.7 of this subchapter;

(b) Rule upon petitions to revoke subpoenas pursuant to §1429.7 of this subchapter;

(c) Administer oaths and affirmations;

(d) Take or order the taking of a deposition whenever the ends of justice would be served thereby;

(e) Order responses to written interrogatories whenever the ends of justice would be served thereby unless it would interfere with the Board's and the General Counsel's policy of protecting the personal privacy and confidentiality of sources of information as set forth in §1423.7(d);

(f) Call, examine and cross-examine witnesses and introduce into the record documentary or other evidence;

(g) Rule upon offers of proof and receive relevant evidence and stipulations of fact with respect to any issue;

(h) Limit lines of questioning or testimony which are immaterial, irrelevant, unduly repetitious, or customarily privileged;

(i) Regulate the course of the hearing and, if appropriate, exclude from the hearing persons who engage in contemptuous conduct and strike all related testimony of witnesses refusing to answer any questions ruled to be proper;

(j) Hold conferences for the settlement or simplification of the issues by consent of the parties or upon the judge's own motion;

(k) Dispose of procedural requests, motions, or similar matters, including motions referred to the Administrative Law Judge by the Regional Director and motions for summary judgment or to amend pleadings; dismiss complaints or portions thereof; order hearings reopened; and, upon motion, order proceedings consolidated or severed prior to issuance of the Administrative Law Judge's decision;

(l) 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;

(m) Continue 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;

(n) Prepare, serve and transmit the decision pursuant to §1423.26;

(o) Take official notice of any material fact not appearing in evidence in the record, which is among the traditional matters of judicial notice: Provided, however, That the parties shall be given adequate notice, at the hearing or by reference in the Administrative Law Judge's decision of the matters so noticed, and shall be given adequate opportunity to show the contrary;

(p) Approve requests for withdrawal of complaints based on informal settlements occurring after the opening of the hearing pursuant to §1423.11(e)(1), and transmit formal settlement agreements to the Board for approval pursuant to §1423.11(e) (2) and (3);

(q) Grant or deny requests made at the hearing to intervene and to present testimony;

(r) Correct or approve proposed corrections of the official transcript when deemed necessary;

(s) Sequester witnesses where appropriate; and

(t) Take any other action deemed necessary under the foregoing and not prohibited by the regulations in this subchapter.