 Seal of the United States Department of Justice | |
| Division overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1919; 106 years ago (1919) |
| Jurisdiction | Federal government of the United States |
| Headquarters | Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building 950Pennsylvania AvenueNW Washington, D.C., United States |
| Division executive |
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| Parent department | U.S. Department of Justice |
| Website | Official website |
| Competition law |
|---|
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| Basic concepts |
| Anti-competitive practices |
| Enforcement authorities and organizations |
TheUnited States Department of Justice Antitrust Division is a division of theU.S. Department of Justice that enforcesU.S. antitrust law. It has exclusive jurisdiction over federalcriminal antitrust prosecutions, and it shares jurisdiction over civil antitrust enforcement with theFederal Trade Commission (FTC).
The Division is headed by an assistant attorney general, who is appointed by thepresident of the United States with theadvice and consent of theSenate, and who reports to theassociate attorney general. The current Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division isGail Slater.
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 DOJRegister identified two professional staffers responsible for enforcement of antitrust laws, but the Division was not formally established until 1919.[citation needed]
Attorney GeneralA. 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]
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]
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The head of the Antitrust Division is the Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust (AAG-AT) appointed by thePresident 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]
As of June 25, 2015[update], the division consists of these sections and offices:[7]
| Name | Years of service | Appointed 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 | 1938–1943 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Wendell Berge | 1943–1947 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| John F. Sonnett | 1947–1948 | Harry S. Truman |
| Herbert Bergson | 1948–1950 | Harry S. Truman |
| Leonard Bessman | 1950–1951 | Harry S. Truman |
| H. Graham Morison | 1951–1952 | Harry S. Truman |
| Newell A. Clapp (acting) | 1952–1953 | Harry S. Truman |
| Stanley Barnes | 1953–1956 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Victor R. Hansen | 1956–1959 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Robert A. Bicks | 1959–1961 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Lee Loevinger | 1961–1963 | John F. Kennedy |
| William Horsley Orrick, Jr. | 1963–1965 | John F. Kennedy |
| Donald F. Turner | 1965–1968 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Edwin Zimmerman | 1968–1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Richard W. McLaren | 1969–1972 | Richard Nixon |
| Walker B. Comegys (acting) | 1972 | Richard Nixon |
| Thomas E. Kauper | 1972–1976 | Richard Nixon |
| Donald I. Baker | 1976–1977 | Gerald Ford |
| John H. Shenefield | 1977–1979 | Jimmy Carter |
| Sanford Litvack | 1979–1981 | Jimmy Carter |
| William Baxter | 1981–1983 | Ronald Reagan |
| J. Paul McGrath | 1983–1985 | Ronald Reagan |
| Douglas H. Ginsburg | 1985–1986 | Ronald Reagan |
| Charles Rule | 1986–1989 | Ronald Reagan |
| James F. Rill | 1989–1992 | George H.W. Bush |
| Charles James (acting) | 1992 | George H. W. Bush |
| J. Mark Gidley (acting) | 1992–1993 | George H. W. Bush |
| Anne Bingaman | 1993–1996 | Bill Clinton |
| Joel Klein | 1996–2000 | Bill Clinton |
| Douglas Melamed (acting) | 2000–2001 | Bill Clinton |
| Charles James | 2001–2003 | George W. Bush |
| R. Hewitt Pate | 2003–2005 | George W. Bush |
| Thomas O. Barnett | 2005–2008 | George W. Bush |
| Deborah A. Garza (acting) | 2008–2009 | George W. Bush |
| Christine A. Varney | 2009–2011 | Barack Obama |
| Sharis Pozen (acting) | 2011–2012 | Barack Obama |
| Joseph F. Wayland (acting) | 2012 | Barack Obama |
| Renata Hesse (acting) | 2012–2013 | Barack Obama |
| William Baer | 2013–2017 | Barack Obama |
| Makan Delrahim | 2017–2021 | Donald Trump |
| Jonathan Kanter | 2021–2024 | Joe Biden |
| Doha Mekki (acting) | 2024-2025 | Joe Biden |
| Gail Slater | 2025-present | Donald Trump |
