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U.S. Department of Justice

From Ballotpedia

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is a United States executive department formed in 1789 to assist the president and Cabinet in matters concerning the law and to prosecute U.S. Supreme Court cases for the federal government.[1]

The DOJ oversees the following agencies: the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Prisons, and Interpol Washington.[2]

Pam Bondi is the U.S. attorney general. Click here to learn more about her confirmation process.

History

The Office of the Attorney General was formed under the Judiciary Act of 1789, in order to advise the president on law and to prosecute cases in the Supreme Court.[3] Gradually the office began adding assistants and hiring private lawyers to handle an increasing number of federal cases until 1870, when Congress enacted An Act to Establish the Department of Justice. The department became official on July 1, 1870, and covered all criminal prosecutions and civil suits in which the United States had an interest, became the enforcer of all federal laws, and created the office of solicitor general. The foundation of the department is still based on that act, though it has grown into the largest law office and central enforcer of federal laws in the world.[3]

Mission

The official department mission statement is as follows:

The mission of the Department of Justice is to uphold the rule of law, to keep our country safe, and to protect civil rights.[4]
—Department of Justice[3]

Leadership

Recent Attorneys General
Attorney General Years in office Nominated by Confirmation vote
Janet Reno 1993-2001 Bill Clinton 98-0
John Ashcroft 2001-2005 George W. Bush 58-42
Alberto Gonzalez 2005-2007 George W. Bush 60-36
Michael Mukasey 2007-2009 George W. Bush 53-40
Eric Holder 2009-2015 Barack Obama 75-21
Loretta Lynch 2015-2017 Barack Obama 56-43
Jeff Sessions 2017-2018 Donald Trump 52-47
William Barr 2019-2020 Donald Trump 54-45
Merrick Garland 2021-2025 Joe Biden 70-30
James McHenry (acting) 2025-2025 Donald Trump N/A
Pam Bondi 2025-present Donald Trump 54-46
Historical Attorneys General
Attorney General Years in office Nominated by Confirmation vote
Edmund Randolph 1789-1794 George Washington N/A
William Bradford 1794-1795 George Washington N/A
Charles Lee 1795-1801 George Washington N/A
Levi Lincoln 1801-1805 Thomas Jefferson N/A
John Breckinridge 1805-1807 Thomas Jefferson N/A
Caesar A. Rodney 1807-1811 Thomas Jefferson N/A
William Pinkney 1811-1814 James Madison N/A
Richard Rush 1814-1817 James Madison 23-6
William Wirt 1817-1829 James Monroe N/A
John M. Berrien 1829-1831 Andrew Jackson N/A
Roger B. Taney 1831-1834 Andrew Jackson N/A
Benjamin F. Butler 1834-1838 Andrew Jackson N/A
Felix Grundy 1838-1840 Martin Van Buren
Henry D. Gilpin 1840-1841 Martin Van Buren
John J. Crittenden 1841 William Henry Harrison
Hugh Swinton Legare 1841-1843 John Tyler
John Nelson 1843-1845 John Tyler
John Y. Mason 1845-1846 James K. Polk N/A
Nathan Clifford 1846-1848 James K. Polk N/A
Isaac Toucey 1848-1859 James K. Polk N/A
Reverdy Johnson 1849-1850 Zachary Taylor N/A
John J. Crittenden 1850-1853 Millard Fillmore
Caleb Cushing 1853-1857 Franklin Pierce
Jeremiah S. Black 1857-1860 James Buchanan
Edwin M. Stanton 1860-1861 James Buchanan
Edward Bates 1861-1864 Abraham Lincoln
James Speed 1864-1866 Andrew Johnson
Henry Stanbery 1866-1868 Andrew Johnson
William M. Evarts 1868-1869 Andrew Johnson
Ebenezer R. Hoar 1869-1870 Ulysses S. Grant N/A
Amos T. Akerman 1870-1871 Ulysses S. Grant N/A
George Henry Williams 1871-1875 Ulysses S. Grant N/A
Edwards Pierrepont 1875-1876 Ulysses S. Grant N/A
Alphonso Taft 1876-1877 Ulysses S. Grant N/A
Charles Devens 1877-1881 Rutherford B. Hayes N/A
Wayne MacVeagh 1881 James Garfield N/A
Benjamin H. Brewster 1881-1885 Chester A. Arthur N/A
Augustus H. Garland 1885-1889 Grover Cleveland N/A
William H. H. Miller 1889-1893 Benjamin Harrison N/A
Richard Olney 1893-1895 Grover Cleveland
Judson Harmon 1895-1897 Grover Cleveland
Joseph McKenna 1897-1898 William McKinley
John W. Griggs 1898-1901 William McKinley
Philander C. Knox 1901-1904 Theodore Roosevelt N/A
William H. Moody 1904-1906 Theodore Roosevelt N/A
Charles J. Bonaparte 1906-1909 Theodore Roosevelt N/A
George W. Wickersham 1909-1913 William Howard Taft N/A
James C. McReynolds 1913-1914 Woodrow Wilson N/A
Thomas Watt Gregory 1914-1919 Woodrow Wilson N/A
Alexander Mitchell Palmer 1919-1921 Woodrow Wilson
Harry M. Daugherty 1921-1924 Warren G. Harding
Harlan F. Stone 1924-1925 Calvin Coolidge
John G. Sargent 1925-1929 Calvin Coolidge
William D. Mitchell 1929-1933 Herbert Hoover
Homer Stille Cummings 1933-1939 Franklin D. Roosevelt N/A
Frank Murphy 1939-1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt 78-7
Robert H. Jackson 1940-1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt N/A
Francis Biddle 1941-1945 Harry Truman N/A
Tom C. Clark 1945-1949 Harry Truman
J. Howard McGrath 1949-1952 Harry Truman
James P. McGranery 1952-1953 Harry Truman
Herbert Brownell, Jr. 1953-1957 Dwight D. Eisenhower
William P. Rogers 1957-1961 Dwight D. Eisenhower
Robert F. Kennedy 1961-1964 John F. Kennedy
Nicholas Katzenbach 1965-1966 Lyndon B. Johnson N/A
Ramsey Clark 1967-1969 Lyndon B. Johnson N/A
John N. Mitchell 1969-1972 Richard Nixon N/A
Richard Kleindienst 1972-1973 Richard Nixon 64-19
Elliot Richardson 1973-1973 Richard Nixon 82-3
William B. Saxbe 1974-1975 Gerald Ford 75-10
Edward H. Levi 1975-1977 Gerald Ford N/A
Griffin Bell 1977-1979 Jimmy Carter 75-21
Benjamin Civiletti 1979-1981 Jimmy Carter 94-1
William French Smith 1981-1985 Ronald Reagan 96-1
Edwin Meese 1985-1988 Ronald Reagan 63-31
Richard L. Thornburgh 1988-1991 George H. W. Bush 85-0
William P. Barr 1991-1993 George H. W. Bush N/A

Note: Votes marked "N/A" represent voice votes or unrecorded votes. Missing votes will be filled as they are researched.

Organization

Administrative State

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Read more about the administrative state on Ballotpedia.

Click here to view the DOJ organization chart.

See also

External links

Footnotes

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U.S. Executive Branch
Elected offices

President Donald Trump • Vice President J.D. Vance


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Executive departments
Cabinet-level offices
Federally appointed offices
Glossary

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The Administrative State
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Reporting
Laws

Administrative Procedure ActAntiquities ActCivil Service Reform ActClayton Antitrust ActCommunications Act of 1934Congressional Review ActElectronic Freedom of Information ActFederal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938Federal Housekeeping StatuteFederal Reserve ActFederal Trade Commission Act of 1914Freedom of Information ActGovernment in the Sunshine ActIndependent Offices Appropriations Act of 1952Information Quality ActInterstate Commerce ActNational Labor Relations ActPaperwork Reduction ActPendleton ActPrivacy Act of 1974Regulatory Flexibility ActREINS ActREINS Act (Wisconsin)Securities Act of 1933Securities Exchange Act of 1934Sherman Antitrust ActSmall Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness ActTruth in Regulating ActUnfunded Mandates Reform Act

Cases

Abbott Laboratories v. GardnerA.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United StatesAssociation of Data Processing Service Organizations v. CampAuer v. RobbinsChevron v. Natural Resources Defense CouncilCitizens to Preserve Overton Park v. VolpeFederal Trade Commission (FTC) v. Standard Oil Company of CaliforniaField v. ClarkFood and Drug Administration v. Brown and Williamson Tobacco CorporationHumphrey's Executor v. United StatesImmigration and Naturalization Service (INS) v. ChadhaJ.W. Hampton Jr. & Company v. United StatesLucia v. SECMarshall v. Barlow'sMassachusetts v. Environmental Protection AgencyMistretta v. United StatesNational Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) v. SebeliusNational Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning CompanyNational Labor Relations Board v. Sears, Roebuck & Co.Panama Refining Co. v. RyanSecurities and Exchange Commission v. Chenery CorporationSkidmore v. Swift & Co.United States v. LopezUnited States v. Western Pacific Railroad Co.Universal Camera Corporation v. National Labor Relations BoardVermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. Natural Resources Defense CouncilWayman v. SouthardWeyerhaeuser Company v. United States Fish and Wildlife ServiceWhitman v. American Trucking AssociationsWickard v. FilburnWiener v. United States

Terms

Adjudication (administrative state)Administrative judgeAdministrative lawAdministrative law judgeAdministrative stateArbitrary-or-capricious testAuer deferenceBarrier to entryBootleggers and BaptistsChevron deference (doctrine)Civil servantCivil serviceCode of Federal RegulationsCodify (administrative state)Comment periodCompliance costsCongressional RecordCoordination (administrative state)Deference (administrative state)Direct and indirect costs (administrative state)Enabling statuteEx parte communication (administrative state)Executive agencyFederal lawFederal RegisterFederalismFinal ruleFormal rulemakingFormalism (law)Functionalism (law)Guidance (administrative state)Hybrid rulemakingIncorporation by referenceIndependent federal agencyInformal rulemakingJoint resolution of disapproval (administrative state)Major ruleNegotiated rulemakingNondelegation doctrineOIRA prompt letterOrganic statutePragmatism (law)Precautionary principlePromulgateProposed rulePublication rulemakingRegulatory budgetRegulatory captureRegulatory dark matterRegulatory impact analysisRegulatory policy officerRegulatory reform officerRegulatory reviewRent seekingRetrospective regulatory reviewRisk assessment (administrative state)RulemakingSeparation of powersSignificant regulatory actionSkidmore deferenceStatutory authoritySubstantive law and procedural lawSue and settleSunset provisionUnified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory ActionsUnited States CodeUnited States Statutes at Large

Bibliography

Agencies

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