The United States Department of Justice has been described as
the largest law office in the world. The Attorney General is the
Chief Legal Officer for the United States, and the Department
of Justice is the Attorney General's staff. Employees of the Department
of Justice are stationed throughout the United States and its
territories, performing many law enforcement functions in addition
to providing legal services to the United States.
The Department of Justice consists of individual divisions,
offices, and commissions including the following:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF)
The Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
The United States Marshals Service (USMS)
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
The Executive Office for the United States Attorneys (EOUSA)
Although the Office of the Attorney General was created by the
Judiciary Act of 1789, the Department of Justice did not come
into being until 1870, when it was established by Congress as
one of the executive departments of government with the Attorney
General at its head.
One of the primary responsibilities of the Department of Justice
is to represent the United States in court, particularly in criminal
cases.
