42-501: The United States associate attorney general is the third-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). The associate attorney general advises and assists the attorney general and the deputy attorney general in policies relating to civil justice, federal and local law enforcement, and public safety matters. The associate attorney general is appointed by the president and confirmed by
84-701: A "Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team" during the Aspen Cyber Summit. Judiciary Act of 1789 The Judiciary Act of 1789 (ch. 20, 1 Stat. 73 ) was a United States federal statute enacted on September 24, 1789, during the first session of the First United States Congress . It established the federal judiciary of the United States . Article III , Section 1 of the Constitution prescribed that
126-605: A bill in Congress to create the Department of Justice. President Ulysses S. Grant signed the bill into law on June 22, 1870. Grant appointed Amos T. Akerman as attorney general and Benjamin H. Bristow as America's first solicitor general the same week that Congress created the Department of Justice. The Department's immediate function was to preserve civil rights. It set about fighting against domestic terrorist groups who had been using both violence and litigation to oppose
168-534: A cabinet member with a strong political base, but he seldom spoke up. Following unsuccessful efforts in 1830 and 1846 to make attorney general a full-time job, in 1867, the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary , led by Congressman William Lawrence , conducted an inquiry into the creation of a "law department" headed by the attorney general and also composed of the various department solicitors and United States attorneys . On February 19, 1868, Lawrence introduced
210-462: A party under a provision of the federal constitution, treaties, or laws. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the supreme court of the United States shall consist of a chief justice and five associate justices, any four of whom shall be a quorum, and shall hold annually at the seat of government two sessions,
252-455: A representative to appear in court. Congress authorized persons who were sued by citizens of another state, in the courts of the plaintiff's home state, to remove the lawsuit to the federal circuit court. According to Edward A. Purcell Jr. , removal was the "most significant innovation" of the Act. The Constitution says nothing about removal jurisdiction, which "was a powerful device to assert
294-415: A state was a party and any cases brought by an ambassador. The Court was given appellate jurisdiction over decisions of the federal circuit courts as well as decisions by state courts holding invalid any statute or treaty of the United States; or holding valid any state law or practice that was challenged as being inconsistent with the federal constitution, treaties, or laws; or rejecting any claim made by
336-402: A system of federal trial courts with broader jurisdiction, thereby creating an arm for enforcement of national laws within each state. Senator Richard Henry Lee ( AA - Virginia ) reported the judiciary bill out of committee on June 12, 1789; Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut , who would go on to serve as the third Chief Justice of the United States, was its chief author. The bill passed
378-464: A website that supported the USA PATRIOT Act . It was criticized by government watchdog groups for its alleged violation of U.S. Code Title 18 Section 1913, which forbids money appropriated by Congress to be used to lobby in favor of any law, actual or proposed. The website has since been taken offline. On October 5, 2021, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco has announced the formation of
420-517: The 13th , 14th , and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. Both Akerman and Bristow used the Department of Justice to vigorously prosecute Ku Klux Klan members in the early 1870s. In the first few years of Grant's first term in office, there were 1000 indictments against Klan members, with over 550 convictions from the Department of Justice. By 1871, there were 3000 indictments and 600 convictions, with most only serving brief sentences, while
462-1069: The Senate . The Office of the Associate Attorney General oversees the Antitrust Division , the Civil Division , the Environment and Natural Resources Division , the Tax Division , the Office of Justice Programs , the Community Oriented Policing Services, the Community Relations Service, the Office of Dispute Resolution, the Office of Violence Against Women, the Office of Information and Privacy,
SECTION 10
#1732773076566504-640: The U.S. Attorneys' Offices for each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts . The U.S. Congress created the Justice Department in 1870 during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant . The Justice Department's functions originally date to 1789, when Congress created the office of the Attorney General. The office of the attorney general was established by the Judiciary Act of 1789 as a part-time job for one person, but grew with
546-459: The bureaucracy . At one time, the attorney general gave legal advice to the U.S. Congress , as well as the president ; however, in 1819, the attorney general began advising Congress alone to ensure a manageable workload. Until 1853, the salary of the attorney general was set by statute at less than the amount paid to other Cabinet members. Early attorneys general supplemented their salaries by running private law practices, often arguing cases before
588-574: The federal government took on some law enforcement responsibilities, and the Department of Justice was tasked with performing these. In 1884, control of federal prisons was transferred to the new department, from the Department of the Interior . New facilities were built, including the penitentiary at Leavenworth in 1895, and a facility for women located in West Virginia , at Alderson
630-423: The "judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court , and such inferior Courts" as Congress saw fit to establish. It made no provision for the composition or procedures of any of the courts, leaving this to Congress to decide. The existence of a separate federal judiciary had been controversial during the debates over the ratification of the Constitution. Anti-Federalists had denounced
672-478: The Act into law on September 24, 1789. The Act set the number of Supreme Court justices at six: one Chief Justice and five Associate Justices . The Supreme Court was given exclusive original jurisdiction over all civil actions between states, or between a state and the United States, as well as over all suits and proceedings brought against ambassadors and other diplomatic personnel; and original, but not exclusive, jurisdiction over all other cases in which
714-590: The Attorney General's office in the Department of Justice Main Building in Washington, D.C. The building was renamed in honor of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy in 2001. It is sometimes referred to as "Main Justice". The Justice Department also had a War Division during World War II . It was created in 1942 and disestablished in 1945. Several federal law enforcement agencies are administered by
756-498: The Department of Justice) "who prosecutes on behalf of justice (or the Lady Justice)". The motto's conception of the prosecutor (or government attorney) as being the servant of justice itself finds concrete expression in a similarly-ordered English-language inscription ("THE UNITED STATES WINS ITS POINT WHENEVER JUSTICE IS DONE ITS CITIZENS IN THE COURTS") in the above-door paneling in the ceremonial rotunda anteroom just outside
798-414: The Department of Justice. Similarly the Office of Domestic Preparedness left the Justice Department for the Department of Homeland Security, but only for executive purposes. The Office of Domestic Preparedness is still centralized within the Department of Justice, since its personnel are still officially employed within the Department of Justice. In 2003, the Department of Justice created LifeAndLiberty.gov,
840-537: The Department of Justice: In March 2003, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service was abolished and its functions transferred to the United States Department of Homeland Security . The Executive Office for Immigration Review and the Board of Immigration Appeals , which review decisions made by government officials under Immigration and Nationality law, remain under jurisdiction of
882-547: The Department of the Interior, the prosecution of all federal crimes, and the representation of the United States in all court actions, barring the use of private attorneys by the federal government. The law also created the office of Solicitor General to supervise and conduct government litigation in the Supreme Court of the United States . With the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887,
SECTION 20
#1732773076566924-721: The Executive Office for United States Trustees, and the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission. The Office of the Associate Attorney General was created on March 10, 1977, by Attorney General Order No. 699-77. United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice ( DOJ ), also known as the Justice Department , is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with
966-562: The Senate 14–6 on July 17, 1789, and the House of Representatives then debated the bill in July and August 1789. The House passed an amended bill 37–16 on September 17, 1789. The Senate struck four of the House amendments and approved the remaining provisions on September 19, 1789. The House passed the Senate's final version of the bill on September 21, 1789. U.S. President George Washington signed
1008-628: The Senate. Harrison, however, declined to serve. In his place, Washington later nominated James Iredell , who joined the Court in 1790, thereby bringing the Court to its "full strength" complement of six members. The first six persons to serve on the United States Supreme Court (ordered by seniority) were: The seniority of the associate justices was set by § 1 of the Judiciary Act of 1789, which assigned seniority by
1050-815: The United States' federal law enforcement agencies , including the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the U.S. Marshals Service , the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives , the Drug Enforcement Administration , and the Federal Bureau of Prisons . The department also has eight divisions of lawyers who represent the U.S. federal government in litigation: the Criminal , Civil , Antitrust , Tax , Civil Rights , Environment and Natural Resources , National Security , and Justice Management Divisions . The department also includes
1092-509: The courts as attorneys for paying litigants. The lightness of the office is exemplified by Edward Bates (1793–1869), Attorney General under Abraham Lincoln (1861 to 1864). Bates had only a small operation, with a staff of six. The main function was to generate legal opinions at the request of Lincoln and cabinet members, and handle occasional cases before the Supreme Court. Lincoln's cabinet was full of experienced lawyers who seldom felt
1134-500: The dates borne on the judicial commissions each justice received from President Washington prior to taking office. This rule setting seniority of the justices is today codified at Title 28 U.S.C. § 4 . A clause in Section 13 of the Judiciary Act, which granted the Supreme Court the power to issue writs of mandamus under its original jurisdiction, was later declared unconstitutional . In Marbury v. Madison , one of
1176-427: The district courts exercised much of the jurisdiction of the circuit courts). The circuit courts, which comprised a district judge and (initially) two Supreme Court justices "riding circuit", had original jurisdiction over serious crimes and civil cases of at least $ 500 involving diversity jurisdiction or the United States as plaintiff in common law and equity . The circuit courts also had appellate jurisdiction over
1218-851: The district courts over lawsuits by aliens for torts in violation of the law of nations or treaties of the United States . Immediately after signing the Judiciary Act into law, President Washington submitted his nominations to fill the offices created by the Act. Among the nominees were John Jay for Chief Justice of the United States ; John Rutledge , William Cushing , Robert H. Harrison , James Wilson , and John Blair Jr. as Associate Justices ; Edmund Randolph for Attorney General ; and myriad district judges , United States Attorneys , and United States Marshals for Connecticut , Delaware , Georgia , Kentucky , Maryland , Maine , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New York , Pennsylvania , South Carolina , and Virginia . All six of Washington's Supreme Court nominees were confirmed by
1260-527: The district courts. The single-judge district courts had jurisdiction primarily over admiralty cases, petty crimes, and suits by the United States for at least $ 100. Notably, at this time, Congress did not grant original federal question jurisdiction to the federal courts, which is why diversity has been described as the "original" and "ancient" jurisdiction of the federal courts. Congress authorized all people to either represent themselves or to be represented by another person. The Act did not prohibit paying
1302-456: The enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United States. It is equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries. The department is headed by the U.S. attorney general , who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet . The current attorney general is Merrick Garland , who has served since March 2021. The Justice Department contains most of
United States Associate Attorney General - Misplaced Pages Continue
1344-482: The judicial power as a potential instrument of national tyranny . Indeed, of the ten amendments that eventually became the Bill of Rights , five (the fourth through the eighth ) dealt primarily with judicial proceedings. Even after ratification, some opponents of a strong judiciary urged that the federal court system be limited to a Supreme Court and perhaps local admiralty judges. Congress, however, decided to establish
1386-617: The need to ask for his opinions. Bates had no authority over the US Attorneys around the country. The federal court system was handled by the Interior Department; the Treasury handled claims. Most of the opinions turned out by Bates's office were of minor importance. Lincoln gave him no special assignments and did not seek his advice on Supreme Court appointments. Bates did have an opportunity to comment on general policy as
1428-514: The one commencing the first Monday of February, and the other the first Monday of August. [bold added] The Act also created 13 judicial districts within the 11 states that had then ratified the Constitution ( North Carolina and Rhode Island were added as judicial districts in 1790, and other states as they were admitted to the Union). Each state comprised one district, except for Virginia and Massachusetts , each of which comprised two. Massachusetts
1470-536: The original intended meaning of the Latin motto appearing on the Department of Justice seal, Qui Pro Domina Justitia Sequitur (literally "Who For Lady Justice Strives"). It is not even known exactly when the original version of the DOJ seal itself was adopted, or when the motto first appeared on the seal. The most authoritative opinion of the DOJ suggests that the motto refers to the Attorney General (and thus, by extension, to
1512-536: The primacy of the national judicial power over that of the states." The Act created the Office of Attorney General , whose primary responsibility was to represent the United States before the Supreme Court. The Act also created a United States Attorney and a United States Marshal for each judicial district. The Judiciary Act of 1789 included the Alien Tort Statute , now codified as 28 U.S.C. § 1350 , which provides jurisdiction in
1554-629: The ringleaders were imprisoned for up to five years in the federal penitentiary in Albany, New York . The result was a dramatic decrease in violence in the South. Akerman gave credit to Grant and told a friend that no one was "better" or "stronger" than Grant when it came to prosecuting terrorists. George H. Williams , who succeeded Akerman in December 1871, continued to prosecute the Klan throughout 1872 until
1596-465: The seminal cases in American law, the Supreme Court held that was unconstitutional because it purported to enlarge the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court beyond that permitted by the Constitution. The case was the first that clearly established that the judiciary can and must interpret what the Constitution permits and declare any laws which are contrary to the Constitution as unenforceable. Thus,
1638-436: The spring of 1873, during Grant's second term in office. Williams then placed a moratorium on Klan prosecutions partially because the Justice Department, inundated by cases involving the Klan, did not have the manpower to continue prosecutions. The "Act to Establish the Department of Justice" drastically increased the attorney general's responsibilities to include the supervision of all United States attorneys, formerly under
1680-425: Was completed in 1935 from a design by Milton Bennett Medary . Upon Medary's death in 1929, the other partners of his Philadelphia firm Zantzinger, Borie and Medary took over the project. On a lot bordered by Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues and Ninth and Tenth Streets, Northwest, it holds over 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m ) of space. Various efforts, none entirely successful, have been made to determine
1722-562: Was divided into the District of Maine (which was then part of Massachusetts) and the District of Massachusetts (which covered modern-day Massachusetts). Virginia was divided into the District of Kentucky (which was then part of Virginia) and the District of Virginia (which covered modern-day West Virginia and Virginia). This Act established a circuit court and district court in each judicial district (except in Maine and Kentucky, where
United States Associate Attorney General - Misplaced Pages Continue
1764-615: Was established in 1924. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order which gave the Department of Justice responsibility for the "functions of prosecuting in the courts of the United States claims and demands by, and offsenses [ sic ] against, the Government of the United States, and of defending claims and demands against the Government, and of supervising the work of United States attorneys, marshals, and clerks in connection therewith, now exercised by any agency or officer..." The U.S. Department of Justice building
#565434