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Organization, Mission and Functions Manual

Organization, Mission and Functions Manual

Office of the Deputy Attorney General

On May 24, 1950, Attorney General J. Howard McGrath created the Office of the Deputy Attorney General (ODAG). The Deputy Attorney, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the Department's second-ranking official and functions as a Chief Operating Officer; 24 components and 93 U.S. Attorneys report directly to the Deputy. Thirteen additional components report to the Deputy through the Associate Attorney General. On a daily basis, the Deputy decides a broad range of legal, policy and operational issues.

The mission of the ODAG is to advise and assist the Attorney General in formulating and implementing Department policies and programs and in providing overall supervision and direction to all organizational units of the Department.

The major functions of the DAG are to:

  • Exercise all the power and authority of the Attorney General unless any such power or authority is required by law to be exercised by the Attorney General personally, or has been specifically delegated exclusively to another Department official.

  • Represent the Department at White House coordination meetings of the National Security Council and Homeland Security Council, and maintain staff to address related Department of Justice policy.
     
  • Act on behalf of the Attorney General for purposes of authorizing searches and electronic surveillance under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and Executive Order 12333 on Intelligence.
     
  • Review and recommend to the Attorney General whether to seek or decline to seek the death penalty in specific cases.
     
  • Act as initial contact with the White House on pending criminal matters.
     
  • Recommend to the White House, after consultation with the Office of the Pardon Attorney, whether the President should grant specific petitions of pardon or commutation of sentence.

  • Be responsible for all Department attorney personnel matters, including final determinations employment, separation, and discipline (except for GS-15 and below attorney matters which have been delegated to the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management).

  • Lead the Department’s response to civil disturbances and terrorism.

  • Oversee budget matters as well as certify to Congress the cost-effectiveness of Department investments in information technology.

  • Set enforcement priorities, in consultation with the Attorney General, to address key priorities.
     
  • Manage high-priority program offices that reside within ODAG, e.g, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, Privacy and Civil Liberties Office, the Faith Based and Community Initiatives Task Force, and the Iraq Rule of Law program. The ODAG also shares with the Associate Attorney General oversight responsibility for the Office of Tribal Justice.

  • Perform such other activities and functions as may be assigned from time to time by the Attorney General.