For over six decades, the mission of the Antitrust Division has been to promote and protect the competitive process -- and the American economy -- through the enforcement of the antitrust laws. The antitrust laws apply to virtually all industries and to every level of business, including manufacturing, transportation, distribution, and marketing. They prohibit a variety of practices that restrain trade, such as price-fixing conspiracies, corporate mergers likely to reduce the competitive vigor of particular markets, and predatory acts designed to achieve or maintain monopoly power. The Division prosecutes serious and willful violations of the antitrust laws by filing criminal suits that can lead to large fines and jail sentences.

The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice was established in 1957 following enactment of the first civil rightsstatutes since Reconstruction. The Division is the primary institution within the federal government responsible for enforcingfederal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, handicap, religion, and national origin. Since itsestablishment, the Division has grown dramatically both in size and responsibility.

The Criminal Division develops, enforces, and supervises the application of all federal criminal laws except those specifically assigned to other divisions. The Division, and the 93 U.S. Attorneys have the responsibility for overseeing criminal matters under the more than 900 statutes as well as certain civil litigation. Criminal Division attorneys prosecute many nationally significant cases. In addition to its direct litigation responsibilities, the Division formulates and implements criminal enforcement policy and provides advice and assistance.

Get the latest news in the Department of Justice.

The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations ofthe United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction,those organizations and principal members of organizations, involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution ofcontrolled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States; and to recommend and supportnon-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and internationalmarkets.

The purpose of the Handbook of Forensic Services is to provide guidance and procedures for safe and efficient methods of collecting and preserving evidence and to describe the forensic examinations performed by the FBI Laboratory.

The INTERPOL - United States National Central Bureau (USNCB) promotes and supportsinternational law enforcement by playing a critical role in international police cooperation. Throughits domestic and INTERPOL law enforcement channels, the USNCB exchanges criminalinvestigative information with other INTERPOL member countries in response to investigativeassistance requests. In addition, the USNCB plays a significant role in guiding world-wideINTERPOL principles to ensure efficiency and continuity, and to develop cooperative internationalworking methods flexible enough to embody the wide variety of police investigative structures in thedifferent INTERPOL member countries.

The Attorney General, as head of the Department of Justice and chief law enforcement officer of the FederalGovernment, represents the United States in legal matters generally and gives advice and opinions to thePresident and to the heads of the executive departments of the Government when so requested. The AttorneyGeneral appears in person to represent the Government before the U.S. Supreme Court in cases of exceptionalgravity or importance.

The major function of the Solicitor General's Office is to supervise and conduct government litigation in the United States Supreme Court. Virtually all such litigation is channeled through the Office of the Solicitor General and is actively conducted by the Office. The United States is involved in about two-thirds of all the cases the U.S. Supreme Court decides on the merits each year. The Solicitor General determines the cases in which Supreme Court review will be sought by the government and the positions the government will take before the Court.

The agency now known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was founded in 1908 whenAttorney General Charles J. Bonaparte appointed an unnamed force of Special Agents to bethe investigative force of DOJ. Today the FBI is the principal investigative arm of the UnitedStates Department of Justice (DOJ). Title 28, United States Code (U.S. Code), Section 533,which authorizes the Attorney General to "appoint officials to detect...crimes against the United States," and other federal statutes give the FBI the authority and responsibility to investigate specific crimes. At present, the FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes.

The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), an agency of the Department of Justice, is responsible for enforcing the laws regulating the admission of foreign-born persons (i.e., aliens) to the United States and for administering various immigration benefits, including the naturalization of qualified applicants for U.S. citizenship. INS also works with the Department of State, the Department of Health and Human Services and the United Nations in the admission and resettlement of refugees. INS is headed by a Commissioner who reports to the Attorney General.

Since 1789, U.S. Marshals and their Deputies have answered the call to service of the American people. From taking the census to protecting the President, the missions of the Service have changed to meet the needs of the nation. Today, the Marshals Service is responsible for providing protection for the federal judiciary, transporting federal prisoners, protecting endangered federal witnesses and managing assets seized from criminal enterprises.