United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division

Last updated

United States Department of Justice
Antitrust Division
Seal of the United States Department of Justice.svg
Seal of the United States Department of Justice
Division overview
Formed1919;106 years ago (1919)
Jurisdiction Federal government of the United States
Headquarters Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C., United States
Division executive
Parent department U.S. Department of Justice
Website Official website

The United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division is a division of the U.S. Department of Justice that enforces U.S. antitrust law. It has exclusive jurisdiction over federal criminal antitrust prosecutions, and it shares jurisdiction over civil antitrust enforcement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Contents

The Division is headed by an assistant attorney general, who is appointed by the president of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate, and who reports to the associate attorney general. The current Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division is Gail Slater.

History

On February 25, 1903, Congress earmarked $500,000 for antitrust enforcement. On March 3, 1903, Congress created the position of Antitrust AG, with a salary to be paid out of the funds earmarked for antitrust enforcement. The 1904 DOJ Register identified two professional staffers responsible for enforcement of antitrust laws, but the Division was not formally established until 1919.[ citation needed ]

Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer “effected the first important reorganization" of DOJ since it was first established in 1870. Palmer organized DOJ into divisions, and placed the AtAG “in charge of the Anti-Trust Division.” Palmer's annual report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1919 contained the first public statement that DOJ had a component called the "Antitrust Division." [1]

2013 closure of field offices

The closure of four of the Antitrust Division's criminal antitrust offices in January 2013 generated significant controversy within the Division and among members of Congress. [2] [3] [4] The Attorney General posited that the closure of these offices would save money and not negatively affect criminal enforcement.

A significant number of career prosecutors voiced contrary opinions, noting that the elimination of half of the Division's criminal enforcement offices would increase travel expenses and diminish the likelihood of uncovering local or regional conspiracies.[ citation needed ]

Leadership

First Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust William J. Donovan William Joseph Donovan cph.3b17495.jpg
First Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust William J. Donovan
Current Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Gail Slater Gail Slater - James Tamim (cropped).png
Current Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Gail Slater

The head of the Antitrust Division is the Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust (AAG-AT) appointed by the President of the United States. Jonathan Kanter was confirmed as Assistant Attorney General on November 16, 2021. [5]

The Assistant Attorney General is assisted by six Deputy Assistant Attorneys General (DAAG) who each oversee a different branch of the Division. One of the DAAGs holds the position of "Principal Deputy," that is "first among equals," and "will typically assume the powers of the Assistant Attorney General in the Assistant Attorney General's absence." [6]

Front Office and Operations

As of June 25,2015, the division consists of these sections and offices: [7]

Office of the Assistant Attorney General

  • Assistant Attorney General
  • Deputy Assistant Attorneys General
  • Chief of Staff and Senior Advisors
  • Directors of Enforcement
  • Office of the Chief Legal Advisor

Office of Operations

Civil Sections

Criminal Sections and Offices

Economic Sections

Other Offices

List of Assistant Attorneys General for the Antitrust Division

NameYears of serviceAppointed by
William Joseph Donovan 1926–1927 Calvin Coolidge
John Lord O'Brian 1929–1933 Herbert Hoover
Robert H. Jackson 1937–1938 Franklin D. Roosevelt
Thurman Arnold 1938–1943Franklin D. Roosevelt
Wendell Berge 1943–1947Franklin D. Roosevelt
John F. Sonnett1947–1948 Harry S. Truman
Herbert Bergson1948–1950Harry S. Truman
Leonard Bessman1950–1951Harry S. Truman
H. Graham Morison1951–1952Harry S. Truman
Newell A. Clapp (acting)1952–1953Harry S. Truman
Stanley Barnes1953–1956 Dwight D. Eisenhower
Victor R. Hansen1956–1959Dwight D. Eisenhower
Robert A. Bicks1959–1961Dwight D. Eisenhower
Lee Loevinger 1961–1963 John F. Kennedy
William Horsley Orrick, Jr.1963–1965John F. Kennedy
Donald F. Turner 1965–1968 Lyndon B. Johnson
Edwin Zimmerman1968–1969Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard W. McLaren 1969–1972 Richard Nixon
Walker B. Comegys (acting)1972Richard Nixon
Thomas E. Kauper1972–1976Richard Nixon
Donald I. Baker1976–1977 Gerald Ford
John H. Shenefield 1977–1979 Jimmy Carter
Sanford Litvack1979–1981Jimmy Carter
William Baxter1981–1983 Ronald Reagan
J. Paul McGrath1983–1985Ronald Reagan
Douglas H. Ginsburg 1985–1986Ronald Reagan
Charles Rule1986–1989Ronald Reagan
James F. Rill1989–1992 George H.W. Bush
Charles James (acting)1992George H. W. Bush
J. Mark Gidley (acting)1992–1993George H. W. Bush
Anne Bingaman 1993–1996 Bill Clinton
Joel Klein 1996–2000Bill Clinton
Douglas Melamed (acting)2000–2001Bill Clinton
Charles James2001–2003 George W. Bush
R. Hewitt Pate2003–2005George W. Bush
Thomas O. Barnett2005–2008George W. Bush
Deborah A. Garza (acting)2008–2009George W. Bush
Christine A. Varney 2009–2011 Barack Obama
Sharis Pozen (acting)2011–2012Barack Obama
Joseph F. Wayland (acting)2012Barack Obama
Renata Hesse (acting)2012–2013Barack Obama
William Baer 2013–2017Barack Obama
Makan Delrahim 2017–2021 Donald Trump
Jonathan Kanter 2021–2024 Joe Biden
Doha Mekki (acting)2024-2025Joe Biden
Gail Slater 2025-presentDonald Trump

See also

References

  1. Werden, Gregory J. (Fall 2018). "Establishment of the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice". St. John's Law Review. 98 (3): 419–430.
  2. Lipman, Melissa (January 15, 2023). "DOJ's Antitrust Plans Unclear Amid Looming Office Closures". Law360. Archived from the original on April 5, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  3. Lipman, Melissa (May 2, 2012). "Kohl Urges DOJ To Reconsider Antitrust Office Closings". Law360. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  4. Lipman, Melissa. "DOJ Faces Mounting Flak Over Plan To Close Antitrust Offices". Law360. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  5. "Meet the Assistant Attorney General". Department of Justice. November 17, 2021. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021.
  6. Antitrust Division Manual (5th ed.). U.S. Department of Justice. April 2015. pp. I–4. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021.
  7. "Sections And Offices". www.justice.gov. June 25, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2021.