As the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Garland leads the Justice Department’s 115,000 employees, who work across the United States and in more than 50 countries worldwide.
The United States Attorney General (A.G.) is the head of the United States Department of Justice per 28 U.S.C. § 503, concerned with all legal affairs, and is the chief lawyer of the United States government. In cases of the federal death penalty, the power to seek the death penalty rests with the Attorney General.
Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a virtual meeting on the White House Campus in Washington, Jan. 3, 2022. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland is set to speak Wednesday about the Justice Department's efforts to investigate and prosecute hundreds of people involved in the U.S. Capitol riot a year ago.
The most recent Attorney General to die was Janet Reno on November 7, 2016 (served 1993–2001, born 1938). William Barr, who served from 1991–1993, returned to the post and is currently serving, excluding him from this list.
The Attorney General's responsibilities include safeguarding Californians from harm and promoting community safety, preserving California's spectacular natural resources, enforcing civil rights laws, and helping victims of identity theft, mortgage-related fraud, illegal business practices, and other consumer crimes.
As the nation's chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Garland leads the Justice Department's 115,000 employees, who work across the United States and in more than 50 countries worldwide.
President of the United StatesUnited States Attorney GeneralReports toPresident of the United StatesSeatRobert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building Washington, D.C.AppointerPresident of the United States with United States Senate advice and consentTerm lengthNo fixed term13 more rows
U.S. Department of JusticeWebsite: Department of Justice (DOJ)Contact: Contact the Department of Justice. Directory of Department Officials.Email: [email protected] Number: 1-202-514-2000.Forms: Department of Justice Forms.
The Attorney General of the United States – appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate – heads the DOJ with its more than 100,000 attorneys, special agents, and other staff. It represents the United States in federal criminal and civil litigation, and provides legal advice to the President and Cabinet.
2022 Attorney General Election InformationStatePrimaryDemocratic CandidatesAlaskaAugust 16, 2022ArizonaAugust 2, 2022Kris MayesArkansasMay 24, 2022Jesse GibsonCaliforniaJune 7, 2022Rob Bonta36 more rows
The president appoints U.S. attorneys, who mainly serve as administrators. Assistant U.S. attorneys handle the bulk of the trial work. The U.S. attorney general, who is the chief law enforcement officer in the United States and the head of the Department of Justice, has supervisory responsibility over U.S. attorneys.
Salary Ranges for Attorney Generals The middle 57% of Attorney Generals makes between $101,019 and $254,138, with the top 86% making $560,998.
Attorneys general are the top legal officers of their state or territory. They advise and represent their legislature and state agencies and act as the “People's Lawyer” for the citizens. Most are elected, though a few are appointed by the governor.
Within the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI is responsible to the attorney general, and it reports its findings to U.S. Attorneys across the country. The FBI's intelligence activities are overseen by the Director of National Intelligence.
The US Attorney General has an online contact form, but you can also send a formal letter through the mail. The address to send a formal letter to the US Attorney General is: US Department of Justice/950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW/Washington, DC 20530-0001.
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Email to the Civil Division may be sent to [email protected].
List of U.S. attorneys generalAttorney GeneralYears of serviceMerrick Garland2021-PresentJeff Sessions2017-2018Loretta Lynch2015-2017Eric Holder2009-201582 more rows
Merrick GarlandThe current attorney general is Merrick Garland, who was sworn in on March 11, 2021....United States Department of Justice.Agency overviewTypeExecutive departmentJurisdictionU.S. federal government10 more rows
The President of the United States has the authority to appoint U.S. Attorneys, with the consent of the United States Senate, and the President may remove U.S. Attorneys from office.
Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 84th United States Attorney General from 2017 to 2018.
For example, upon the inauguration of President Donald Trump on January 20, 2017, then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch left her position, so then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, who had also tendered her resignation, was asked to stay on to serve as the acting attorney general until the confirmation of the new attorney general Jeff Sessions, who had been nominated for the office in November 2016 by then- President-elect Donald Trump.
Presidential transition[edit] It is the practice for the attorney general, along with the other Cabinet secretaries and high-level political appointees of the President, to tender a resignation with effect on the Inauguration Day(January 20) of a new president.
The original duties of this officer were "to prosecute and conduct all suits in the Supreme Court in which the United States shall be concerned, and to give his advice and opinion upon questions of law when required by the president of the United States, or when requested by the heads of any of the departments". Some of these duties have since been transferred to the United States solicitor general and the White House counsel .
Attorney General is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule, thus earning a salary of US$ 221,400, as of January 2021.
The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United Stateson all legal matters. The attorney general is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States.
Gerson was fourth in the line of succession at the Justice Department, but other senior DOJ officials had already resigned.[14] Janet Reno, President Clinton's nominee for attorney general, was confirmed on March 12,[15]and he resigned the same day.
The Department of Justice was established in 1870 to support the attorneys general in the discharge of their responsibilities.
He served as Chief Judge from February 12, 2013 until February 11, 2020 and remained on the bench until his confirmation as Attorney General. In addition to being a published author in the Harvard Law Review and Yale Law Journal, Attorney General Garland has taught as a professor at Harvard Law School, served as the president of the Board ...
Before becoming a federal judge, Attorney General Garland spent a substantial part of his professional life at the Department of Justice. He served in both career and non-career positions under five Attorneys General, including as Special Assistant to the Attorney General, Assistant United States Attorney, Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division, and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General. In those roles, his responsibilities spanned the work of the Department, including criminal, civil, and national security matters. They also included direct supervision of investigations and prosecutions of national importance , including the Oklahoma City bombing, Unabomber, and Montana Freemen cases.
He returned to the Department of Justice as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1989 to 1992. After briefly returning to Arnold & Porter in 1992, Attorney General Garland continued his career in public service as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division.
Garland pledges to make investigation into Jan. 6 attack his first priority as attorney general. Judge Merrick Garland said that if confirmed, he would not rule out investigating funders, organizers, ringleaders, aiders or abettors of the assault. Tap to Unmute.
Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee at his confirmation hearing, Garland said in his opening statement that if confirmed, he would "supervise the prosecution of white supremacists and others who stormed the Capitol on January 6 — a heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government."
When his nomination was announced last month, Garland said he would strive to make sure that "like cases are treated alike, that there not be one rule for Democrats and another for Republicans, one rule for friends, the other for foes."
Garland said in his opening statement that the Department of Justice's mission to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, "particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society ... remains urgent."
John Cornyn, R-Texas, said that he told Garland that his sole criterion for voting for his confirmation was that he pledge to ensure that politics doesn’t affect his job as attorney general.
Merrick Garland promises to prosecute 'white supremacists and others' who stormed Capitol. The Senate voted not to convict Trump in an impeachment trial, but Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said: "We have a criminal justice system in this country.
Grassley asked if Garland would allow John Durham to complete his investigation as special counsel into the origins of the Trump-Russia inquiry. Garland said he didn’t have any information about the probe but said he would discuss it with Durham. Grassley said that Garland came close to “satisfying” him, “but maybe not entirely.”.
Merrick Garland’s daughter is married to the co-founder of the Critical Race Theory educational material being purchased by the school boards. The exact CRT material being directly challenged by the parents Garland has instructed the FBI to investigate. In a clear conflict of interest Merrick Garland is using his office to protect the income and investments of his son-in-law’s business. However, when questioned about this conflict today, Merrick Garland says he will refuse to accept any
If anyone in the Trump administration had the same conflict, there would be calls for a Special Counsel, Impeachment, and immediate resignation of the entire department.
Cohen also challenged Garland's decision to have the DOJ get involved in defending a defamation case against Trump brought by E. Jean Carroll, who claimed he raped her.
McClintock and Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., both asked about Hunter Biden and whether a special counsel should be appointed to investigate him and his finances. Buck brought up how a painting by Biden – not otherwise known for his artwork – was sold for $500,000. He argued that this was solely because of his family ties to the White House, and noted that the gallery that bought Hunter’s painting had their COVID relief loan "more than doubled by the Biden administration" and "received by far the largest SBA disaster loan"
Garland said that nothing in his memo has to do with financial interests or the substance of what is being taught in schools, but de als with "violence or threats of violence."
Early on, Nadler asked about former Trump adviser Steve Bannon's refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by a select committee investigating the riot, and whether the Justice Department would "expeditiously consider the referrals put forth by the select committee" if the full House approves them later in the day.
McClintock asked if the failure to prosecute migrants influenced people's decisions to cross the border into the U.S.
Cohen then asked about a potential investigation of Trump for possible campaign finance violations related to the payment made to Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence regarding allegations of an affair between her and Trump. Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to various offenses, stating in court that "Individual 1," understood to be Trump, directed him to engage in criminal conduct.
Other issues raised included the ongoing surge of migrants crossing the southern border. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., noted that a record 1.7 million people have been arrested for allegedly crossing illegally so far in 2021. When asked how many of these people are facing prosecution, Garland noted said he did not know the answer.
Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 which, among other things, established the Office of the Attorney General. The original duties of this officer were "to prosecute and conduct all suits in the Supreme Court in which the United States shall be concerned, and to give his advice and opinion upon questions of law when required by the president of the United States, or when requested by the heads of any of the departments". Some of these duties have since been transferred to the U…
It is the practice for the attorney general, along with the other Cabinet secretaries and high-level political appointees of the President, to tender a resignation with effect on the Inauguration Day (January 20) of a new president. The deputy attorney general is also expected to tender a resignation, but is commonly requested to stay on and act as the attorney general pending the confirmation by the Senate of the new attorney general.
U.S.C. Title 28, §508 establishes the first two positions in the line of succession, while allowing the attorney general to designate other high-ranking officers of the Department of Justice as subsequent successors. Furthermore, an Executive Order defines subsequent positions, the most recent from March 31, 2017, signed by President Donald Trump. The current line of succession is:
1. United States Deputy Attorney General
• Executive Order 13787 for "Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice"