Skip to main content

Organization, Mission and Functions Manual

Organization, Mission and Functions Manual

Office of the Attorney General

History

The Judiciary Act of 1789 created the Office of the Attorney General which evolved over the years into the head of the Department of Justice and chief law enforcement officer of the Federal Government.  The Attorney General represents the United States in legal matters generally and gives advice and opinions to the President and to the heads of the executive departments of the Government when so requested.  In matters of exceptional gravity or importance the Attorney General appears in person before the Supreme Court.  Initially the position of Attorney General was created as a one-person, part-time position.  However, the workload quickly became too much for one person.  For a time, private attorneys were retained to assist the Attorney General.   

Since June 1870, Congress enacted a law entitled “An Act to Establish the Department of Justice,” with the Attorney General as head of the new executive department, the United States Department of Justice.  This Act gave the Attorney General direction and control of U.S. Attorneys and all other counsel employed on behalf of the United States.  The Attorney General has guided the world's largest law office and the central agency for enforcement of federal laws.

Mission

The mission of the Office of the Attorney General is to supervise and direct the administration and operation of the 40 components comprising the Department of Justice.

Major Functions

The principal duties of the Attorney General are to:

  • Represent the United States in legal matters.
  • Supervise and direct the administration and operation of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Bureau of Prisons, Office of Justice Programs and the U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals Service, which are all within the Department of Justice.
  • Supervise and direct the administration and operation of the offices, boards, divisions, and bureaus that comprise the Department.
  • Furnish advice and opinions, formal and informal, on legal matters to the President and the Cabinet and to the heads of the executive departments and agencies of the government, as provided by law.
  • Make recommendations to the President concerning appointments to federal judicial positions and to positions within the Department, including U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals.
  • Represent or supervise the representation of the United States Government in the Supreme Court of the United States and all other courts, foreign and domestic, in which the United States is a party or has an interest as may be deemed appropriate.
  • Perform or supervise the performance of other duties required by statute or Executive Order.