United States Department of Justice

United States Department of Justice
U.S. government · Public domain · source
Agency name	United States Department of Justice
Logo width	200
Seal width	200
Formed	July 1, 1870
Headquarters	Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building
Employees	113,114 (2022)
Budget	$37.8 billion (2023)
Chief1 name	Merrick Garland
Chief1 position	United States Attorney General
Chief2 name	Lisa Monaco
Chief2 position	United States Deputy Attorney General

Contents

History and establishment
Role in enforcing civil rights legislation
Key civil rights divisions and offices
Landmark civil rights cases and actions
Relationship with civil rights organizations
Criticisms and controversies regarding civil rights

United States Department of Justice

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is the federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United States. Headed by the United States Attorney General, it is a central institution in the nation's legal framework. Its role in the US Civil Rights Movement has been pivotal, as it is the primary federal agency charged with enforcing civil rights statutes, prosecuting hate crimes, and protecting the voting rights of all citizens, making it a key battleground for advancing justice and equity.

History and establishment

The Department of Justice was established by an Act of Congress in 1870, during the turbulent Reconstruction era following the American Civil War. Its creation was driven by the urgent need to enforce the new constitutional amendments and laws aimed at protecting the rights of newly freed African Americans. The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, along with legislation like the Enforcement Acts, required a dedicated federal legal apparatus. The first Attorney General to lead the new department was Amos T. Akerman, who aggressively prosecuted members of the Ku Klux Klan under the Enforcement Act of 1870. However, after the end of Reconstruction and the rise of Jim Crow laws, the department's role in protecting civil rights diminished for decades until it was revitalized during the mid-20th century movement.

Role in enforcing civil rights legislation

The DOJ's mandate to enforce civil rights is derived from key federal statutes passed in the wake of the US Civil Rights Movement. The most significant of these is the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The department's Civil Rights Division is tasked with enforcing this and subsequent laws like the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Fair Housing Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. It does so through litigation, filing statements of interest in court cases, and conducting pattern-or-practice investigations into systemic discrimination by police departments, schools, and employers. The DOJ also enforces criminal civil rights statutes, such as those prohibiting hate crimes and police misconduct.

Key civil rights divisions and offices

The primary engine for the DOJ's civil rights work is the Civil Rights Division, established in 1957. Within it, specialized sections focus on specific areas: the Voting Section enforces federal voting rights laws; the Educational Opportunities Section tackles segregation and discrimination in schools; and the Criminal Section prosecutes violations of federal criminal civil rights statutes. Other critical offices include the Community Relations Service, created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to mediate community conflicts, and the Office of Justice Programs, which provides grants to support civil rights initiatives. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), under the DOJ, investigates potential civil rights violations and hate crimes.

Landmark civil rights cases and actions

The DOJ has been a party to numerous landmark legal actions that shaped civil rights in America. In the 1950s, it filed amicus curiae briefs in support of the plaintiffs in Brown v. Board of Education. Under Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, it actively intervened to protect Freedom Riders and enforce desegregation orders in the South, such as at the University of Mississippi during the Ole Miss riot of 1962. In later decades, it prosecuted the killers of Medgar Evers and Viola Liuzzo. More recently, the DOJ under Attorney General Eric Holder launched major investigations into police departments in cities like Ferguson and Baltimore following the deaths of Michael Brown and Freddie Gray, leading to court-enforced reform agreements.

Relationship with civil rights organizations

The DOJ's relationship with civil rights organizations has often been collaborative but sometimes adversarial, depending on the political administration. Groups like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights have frequently partnered with the department, providing evidence, testimony, and legal strategy for cases. During the peak of the movement, figures like Martin Luther King Jr. appealed directly to the DOJ for federal protection. However, organizations have also sued the DOJ to compel stronger enforcement or challenged its policies, such as those regarding voting restrictions or religious liberty exemptions that may undermine civil rights protections.

Criticisms and controversies regarding civil rights