Department of Justice
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Department of Justice
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is a federal agency that has become the world’s largest law office and is the central agency responsible for the enforcement of federal laws. Eric A. Holder is the current Attorney General of the DOJ, sworn in as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States on February 3, 2009. The Deputy Attorney General is Gary Grindler (Acting), and the Associate Attorney General is Tom Perrelli.
The DOJ website is located at http://www.justice.gov/
History of the Department of Justice
The Judiciary Act of 1789, passed by Congress and signed by President George Washington, created the Office of the Attorney General. Originally a one-person office, the workload became too much for a single individual to handle.
In 1870, the U.S. Congress passed the Act to Establish the Department of Justice, and set it up as “an executive department of the government of the United States,” with the Attorney General as its head. The Office of Solicitor General was also created at that time. Charged with officially handling the legal business of the United States, the Department of Justice now had control over all criminal prosecutions and civil suits in which the United States had an interest.
In addition, the Department of Justice and the Attorney General now controlled federal law enforcement. In the years since the passage of the Act, the positions of Attorney Generals and various divisions have been added.
Department of Justice Mission
The mission of the Department of Justice is to:
• Enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law
• Ensure public safety against foreign and domestic threats
• Provide federal leadership in controlling and preventing crime
• Seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior
• Ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans
Divisions of the Department of Justice
The Department of Justice consists of eight divisions:
• Antitrust Division
• Civil Division
• Civil Rights Division
• Criminal Division
• Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD)
• Justice Management Division (JMD)
• National Security Division (NSD)
• Tax Division
Agencies Administered by the Department of Justice
Several federal law enforcement agencies are administered by the Department of Justice:
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
• National Institute of Corrections
• Office of the Inspector General (OIG)
• United States Marshals Service (USMS)
Other Offices and Programs
Other offices and programs include:
• Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States
• INTERPOL, U.S. National Central Bureau
• National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC)
• United States Parole Commission
• Obscenity Prosecution Task Force
Contacting the DOJ
Correspondence to the Department of Justice and the Attorney General can be sent to:
U.S. Department of Justice
905 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 2053-0001
Main Switchboard Telephone: (202) 514-2000
Office of the Attorney General Public Comment Line: (202) 353-1555
Emails to the DOJ and the Attorney General can be sent to: AskDOJ@usdoj.gov.
--Suzannekane 01:13, 28 February 2010 (UTC)
