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Organization, Mission and Functions Manual

Organization, Mission and Functions Manual

Office of the Associate Attorney General

History

The Office of the Associate Attorney General (OASG) was created by Attorney General Order No. 699-77 on March 10, 1977. The Associate Attorney General, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the Department’s third-ranking official. The ASG is a principal member of the Attorney General’s senior management team.

Mission

The Office of the Associate Attorney General advises and assists the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General in formulating and implementing Departmental policies and programs pertaining to a broad range of civil justice, federal and local law enforcement, and public safety matters.  The Office oversees the Civil Division, Civil Rights Division, Antitrust Division, Tax Division, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Office of Justice Programs, Office on Violence Against Women, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Office for Access to Justice, Office of Information Policy, Community Relations Service, United States Trustees Program, and Foreign Claims Settlement Commission.

Major Functions

  • The major functions of the ASG are to: Advise and assist the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General on the formulation and implementation of Department of Justice policies and programs.
     
  • Set enforcement priorities in consultation with the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General.
     
  • Supervise the work of five large litigating components – the Civil, Civil Rights, Antitrust, Tax, and Environment and Natural Resources Divisions – and, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General, devise policies and protocol relating to the Department’s civil enforcement program.
     
  • Act as an initial contact with the White House on pending civil matters.
     
  • Supervise the Department’s grant-making components – the Office of Justice Programs, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, and the Office on Violence Against Women.
     
  • Oversee the Community Relations Service, the United States Trustees Program, the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, and the Office for Access to Justice.
  • Serve as the Department’s Chief Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officer, formulating Administration-wide FOIA policy and guidance through oversight of the Department’s Office of Information Policy.
     
  • Serve as co-chair of the Regulatory Reform Task Force; serve as co-chair of the White House Task Force on Puerto Rico; and serve as co-Vice Chair of the Religious Liberty Task Force.
     
  • Perform other duties as assigned from time to time by the Attorney General. These duties have included leading the Department’s regulatory reform efforts; supervising the Service members and Veterans Initiative; assisting vulnerable communities, including tribal communities; assisting with and overseeing Department efforts to tackle the opioid epidemic; and supervising critical fraud enforcement efforts, including those targeting the elderly and the most vulnerable in our society.