Justice Department
It is the executive department of the United
States federal government, created
by Congress in 1870 to assume the
functions performed until then by the Office
of the Attorney General. The
department is headed by the attorney general, which
is appointed by the
president with the approval of the Senate. The Attorney
General is Janet
Reno she receives 181, 500 a year. The functions of the
department include
providing means for the enforcement of federal laws and
investigating
violations thereof; supervising the federal penal institutions;
furnishing
legal counsel in cases involving the federal government and
conducting all
suits brought before the U.S. Supreme Court in which the federal
government
is concerned; interpreting laws relating to the activities of the
other
federal departments; and rendering legal advice, upon request, to
the
president and to cabinet members. The deputy attorney general and the
associate
attorney general assist the attorney general. Another high-ranking
official of
the department is the solicitor general, who directs all U.S.
government
litigation in the Supreme Court and who is concerned generally
with the conduct
of the appellate litigation of the government. Assistant
attorneys general head
most of the divisions of the Justice Department. The
functions of the department
are carried out regionally by U.S. attorneys and
U.S. marshals; one of each is
appointed to the 94 federal judicial districts
by the president, with the
consent of the Senate. The department includes the
antitrust, civil, civil
rights, criminal, environment and natural resources,
and tax divisions, as well
as administrative offices. The Antitrust Division
is charged with the
enforcement of the federal antitrust laws and related
enactment’s against
industrial and commercial monopolies; the most important
of these laws are the
Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 and the Clayton Act
of 1914. The Civil Division
and its seven major branches supervise all
matters relating to civil suits and
claims involving the U.S. and its
departments, agencies, and officers. Among the
varied areas of litigation
handled by the Civil Division are patents and
copyrights, fraud, tort claims,
customs and immigration, international trade,
veterans' affairs, and consumer
affairs. The Civil Rights Division is
responsible for enforcing the Civil
Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1968;
the Voting Rights Act of 1965; the
Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974;
the Equal Credit Opportunity Act
of 1976; the Civil Rights of Institutionalized
Persons Act of 1980; and
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. In
addition, it is charged with
eliminating discrimination in programs that receive
federal financial
assistance. The Criminal Division is entrusted with enforcing
federal
criminal statutes relating to such matters as organized crime,
kidnapping,
bank robbery, fraud against the government, racketeering,
obscenity,
corruption among public officials, narcotics and dangerous drugs,
and certain
civil matters such as extradition proceedings and seizure actions
under the
Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act. The Internal Security
Section of the
division is charged with the investigation and prosecution of
all cases
affecting national security (including espionage and sabotage),
foreign
relations, and the illegal export of strategic commodities and
technology. The
Environment and Natural Resources Division represents the
U.S. in litigation
involving public lands and natural resources, Native
American lands and claims,
wildlife resources, and environmental quality,
including enforcement of the
Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and
similar federal laws and of regulations
promulgated by the Environmental
Protection Agency. The Tax Division conducts
all civil and criminal
litigation arising out of the internal revenue laws,
other than proceedings
in the U.S. Tax Court. The Office of Policy and
Communications oversees
policy development, public affairs, and other
administrative areas. Other
agencies include the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, which investigates
violations of federal laws and collects
evidence in cases in which the U.S.
may be involved; the Bureau of Prisons; the
U.S. Parole Commission, which
has the authority to release federal prisoners
before they complete their
entire sentences; the Office of Justice Programs,
which provides financial
and technical assistance to state and local law
enforcement, supports
research into justice issues, and accumulates and
disseminates criminal
justice statistics; the U.S. Marshals Service, which
provides protection and
other services for the federal courts and responds to
emergency situations
related to law enforcement; the Drug Enforcement
Administration; the
Immigration and Naturalization Service; the Executive Office
for Immigration
Review; the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related
Unfair
Employment Practices; the U.S. National Central
Bureau-International
Criminal Police Organization (Interpol); and the
Foreign Claims Settlement
Commission. Special sections include the
Community Relations Service, which
mediates racial disputes in U.S.
communities; the pardon attorney, who receives
and investigates applications
to the president for pardon or clemency; the U.S.
Trustee program, which
supervises the administration of bankruptcy cases and
trustees; and the
Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, which provides executive
assistance to
and oversight of the offices of U.S. attorneys throughout the
nation.