U.S. Department
of Justice
General Civil Litigation
Civil Division
The Civil Division consists of the General Litigation Section and the Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) Section.
General Litigation Section
The General Litigation Section represents the United States and its agencies, officers, and employees involved in civil litigation as either plaintiffs or defendants in many types of civil cases, including the following:
- defense of suits against the United States under the Federal Tort Claims Act
- defense of federal agencies in employment discrimination cases
- defense of federal medical facilities in medical malpractice actions
- defense of suits against health care facilities deemed federal entities
- defense of federal officers in Bivens-type civil rights actions
- civil prosecution to protect the private sector employment and re-employment rights of those who serve or have served in military service
- civil prosecution and defense of federal environmental cases
- judicial appeals of administrative decisions involving federal agencies
- habeas corpus petitions
- prisoner litigation
- bankruptcy court representation of federal creditors (primarily the IRS, SBA, HUD, and the Rural Housing Service)
- defense of Social Security Administration in disability benefits appeals.
The Civil Division represents the agencies of the United States in lawsuits filed within the District. The agencies the Civil Division represents include the United States Postal Service, the Veteran's Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Social Security Administration, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Department of Defense.
The Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) Section represents the United States and its agencies as the plaintiff in cases where the government seeks to recover monies and/or impose civil penalties in cases involving federal program or procurement fraud, primarily under the False Claims Act and the Controlled Substances Act. The ACE Section commonly investigates and litigates healthcare fraud and defense procurement fraud under the False Claims Act and its whistleblower provisions. This section also assists the Department of Justice in the enforcement of federal environmental laws, the Voting Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, and other civil rights statutes.