United States Department of Justice facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
United States Department of Justice

Seal of the U.S. Department of Justice
Flag of the U.S. Department of Justice
The Robert F. Kennedy Building is the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Justice. (2024)
Agency overview
Formed	July 1, 1870; 154 years ago (1870-07-01)
Type	Executive department
Jurisdiction	U.S. federal government
Headquarters	Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C., United States 38°53′36″N 77°1′30″W / 38.89333°N 77.02500°W / 38.89333; -77.02500
Motto	"Qui Pro Domina Justitia Sequitur" (Latin: "Who prosecutes on behalf of justice (or the Lady Justice)")
Employees	113,114 (2019)
Annual budget	$37.52 billion (FY 2024)
Agency executives	Pam Bondi, Attorney General Emil Bove, Acting Deputy Attorney General Vacant, Associate Attorney General Sarah M. Harris, Acting Solicitor General

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. It is equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries. 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. Merrick Garland has served as attorney general since March 2021 to 2025. The acting attorney general is James McHenry.

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. Its functions originally date to 1789, when Congress created the office of the Attorney General.

See also

In Spanish: Departamento de Justicia de los Estados Unidos para niños

• Capital punishment in the United States
• Incarceration in the United States
• Justice
• Litigation
• OneDOJ
• Punishment