DOJ

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is the United States federal executive department responsible for enforcing federal laws and representing the United States in legal matters. It is headed by the Attorney General, who serves as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer and a member of the President’s Cabinet. The Deputy Attorney General and Associate Attorney General are the second- and third-ranking officials.

The DOJ was created in 1870 to centralize federal legal functions, consolidating duties previously carried out by the Attorney General’s Office. Its mission includes upholding the rule of law, ensuring public safety, protecting civil rights, and pursuing justice for victims.

Organization and functions: The department oversees civil and criminal matters through its divisions, including Antitrust, Civil, Civil Rights, Criminal, National Security, Environment and Natural Resources, and Tax. It litigates on behalf of the United States and supervises federal prosecutions through U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in each district. It also operates key law-enforcement and investigative agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), United States Marshals Service (USMS), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). The Office of the Inspector General provides internal oversight, and the Office of the Pardon Attorney handles clemency matters.

The DOJ interfaces with other federal components in areas like immigration enforcement, national security, and criminal justice policy, and it is central to the administration of federal prosecutions and civil litigation. While the acronym DOJ most often refers to the United States department, similar departments of justice exist in other countries, and the term can denote those entities as well.