## Overview The **United States Department of Justice (DOJ)** is a federal executive department responsible for enforcing federal laws, ensuring public safety, and upholding civil rights across the United States[1][3][4]. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the DOJ operates under the leadership of the U.S. Attorney General, a presidential appointee who reports directly to the President and serves on the Cabinet[4]. The department comprises more than 40 component organizations and over 115,000 employees, with field offices in every U.S. state and territory, as well as in more than 50 countries worldwide[1][4]. ## What the DOJ Does The DOJ’s core mission is to uphold the rule of law, keep the country safe, and protect civil rights[1][5]. Its work is organized into three co-equal priorities: law enforcement, litigation, and grantmaking[5]. The department oversees major federal law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons[2][4]. These agencies investigate and prosecute federal crimes, apprehend fugitives, manage federal prisons, and combat terrorism and organized crime[2][6]. The DOJ also includes litigating divisions that enforce federal criminal and civil laws—covering areas such as antitrust, tax, civil rights, environment, and national security—and represents the U.S. government in court through the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices[2][4]. Additionally, the DOJ administers grant programs to support state, tribal, and local justice initiatives[2]. ## History The DOJ was formally established by Congress in 1870, during the Ulysses S. Grant administration, to centralize federal legal functions that had previously been dispersed across various departments[4][9