The ''Justice Manual'' (known before 2018 as the ''United States Attorneys' Manual'') is a looseleaf text designed as a quick and ready reference for
United States Attorneys and other employees of the
United States Department of Justice responsible for the prosecution of violations of
federal law. It contains general policies and guidance relevant to the work of the United States Attorneys' offices and to their relations with the legal divisions, investigative agencies, and other components within the Department of Justice.
The ''Manual'' is an internal document of the Department of Justice, and as such, does not have the force of law. It is updated periodically in much the same way as commercial
looseleaf services are. New hard copies of the manual are issued annually to the department's attorneys. It is also available online.
History
The last comprehensive update of the manual was in 2018, the first major revision in more than two decades.
[Department of Justice Announces the Rollout of an Updated United States Attorneys' Manual]
(press release), United States Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs (September 25, 2018). At the same time, the manual was renamed the ''Justice Manual''.
[Justice Manual]
United States Department of Justice (last accessed January 1, 2021). Two controversial changes in the revision were the removals of sections regarding press freedom
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exerci ...
and racial gerrymandering
In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...
.
Organization
The ''Justice Manual'' is divided into nine titles:[
# Organization and Functions
# Appeals
# Executive Office for United States Attorneys
# ]Civil
Civil may refer to:
*Civic virtue, or civility
*Civil action, or lawsuit
* Civil affairs
*Civil and political rights
*Civil disobedience
*Civil engineering
*Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism
*Civilian, someone not a membe ...
# Environment and Natural Resources Division
# Tax
# Antitrust
Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...
# Civil Rights
# Criminal
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...
Each title has a corresponding Resource Manual that includes copies of policies, form letters, and other documents.[
]
References
*
External links
''Justice Manual'' online
{{US Administrative law
Handbooks and manuals
Legal literature
United States Department of Justice publications