United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division

United States Department of Justice
Antitrust Division
	Seal of the United States Department of Justice
Division overview
Formed	1919; 105 years ago
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	Jonathan Kanter, Assistant Attorney General;
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 U.S. federal criminal antitrust investigations and prosecutions. It also has jurisdiction over civil antitrust enforcement, which it shares with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The Antitrust Division often works jointly with the FTC to provide regulatory guidance to businesses.

The Division is headed by an Assistant Attorney General, who is appointed by the President of the United States with and by the advice and consent of the Senate, and reports to the Associate Attorney General. The current Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division is Jonathan Kanter, who was sworn into office November 16, 2021.^[1]

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."^[2]

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.^[3]^[4]^[5] The Attorney General posited that the closure of these offices will save money and not negatively affect criminal enforcement.

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

Leadership

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.^[6]

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."^[7]

Front Office and Operations

As of June 25, 2015^[update], the division consists of these sections and offices:^[8]

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

Civil Conduct Task Force
Defense, Industrials, and Aerospace Section
Financial Services, Fintech, and Banking Section
Healthcare and Consumer Products Section
Media, Entertainment, and Communications Section
Technology and Digital Platforms Section
Transportation, Energy, and Agriculture Section

Criminal Sections and Offices

Chicago Office
New York Office
Procurement Collusion Strike Force
San Francisco Office
Washington Criminal Section

Economic Sections

Economic Analysis Group

Other Offices

Appellate Section
Competition Policy and Advocacy Section
Executive Office
International Section

List of Assistant Attorneys General for the Antitrust Division

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	1952–1953	acting
Stanley Barnes	1953–1956	Eisenhower
Victor R. Hansen	1956–1959	Eisenhower
Robert A. Bicks	1959–1961	Eisenhower
Lee Loevinger	1961–1963	Kennedy
William Horsley Orrick, Jr.	1963–1965	Kennedy
Donald F. Turner	1965–1968	Lyndon Johnson
Edwin Zimmerman	1968–1969	Lyndon Johnson
Richard W. McLaren	1969–1972	Richard Nixon
Walker B. Comegys	1972	acting
Thomas E. Kauper	1972–1976	Richard Nixon
Donald I. Baker	1976–1977	Gerald R. 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	1992	acting
J. Mark Gidley	1992–1993	acting
Anne Bingaman	1993–1996	Bill Clinton
Joel Klein	1996–2000	Bill Clinton
Douglas Melamed	2000–2001	acting
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	2008–2009	acting
Christine A. Varney	2009–2011	Barack Obama
Sharis Pozen	2011–2012	acting
Joseph F. Wayland	2012	acting
Renata Hesse	2012–2013	acting
William Baer	2013–2017	Barack Obama
Makan Delrahim	2017–2021	Donald J. Trump
Jonathan Kanter	2021–Present	Joe Biden

References

^ "U.S. Senate confirms Google critic Kanter to head Justice Dept Antitrust Division". Reuters. November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ "Meet the Assistant Attorney General". Department of Justice. November 17, 2021. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021.
^ Antitrust Division Manual (5th ed.). U.S. Department of Justice. April 2015. pp. I–4. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021.
^ "Sections And Offices". www.justice.gov. June 25, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2021.

External links

[Confirmation-1] "U.S. Senate confirms Google critic Kanter to head Justice Dept Antitrust Division". Reuters. November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

[2] 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.

[3] 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.

[4] 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.

[5] 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.

[6] "Meet the Assistant Attorney General". Department of Justice. November 17, 2021. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021.

[7] Antitrust Division Manual (5th ed.). U.S. Department of Justice. April 2015. pp. I–4. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021.

[8] "Sections And Offices". www.justice.gov. June 25, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2021.

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