United States Department of Justice

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. The department is headed by the U.S. attorney general, who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's cabinet. Pam Bondi has served as U.S. attorney general since February 4, 2025.

The Justice Department contains most of the United States' federal law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. 

The department also has eight divisions of lawyers who represent the federal government in litigation: the Criminal, Civil, Antitrust, Tax, Civil Rights, Environment and Natural Resources, National Security, and Justice Management Divisions. The DOJ includes the U.S. Attorneys' offices for each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts.

The U.S. Congress created the Justice Department in 1870, during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant. The DOJ's functions began in 1789, when Congress created the office of the Attorney General.

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