The United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division is a division of the U.S. Department of Justice that enforces

U.S. antitrust law In the United States, antitrust law is a collection of mostly federal laws that regulate the conduct and organization of businesses to promote competition and prevent unjustified monopolies. The three main U.S. antitrust statutes are the Sherma ...

. It has exclusive jurisdiction over U.S. federal

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 C ...

antitrust prosecutions. It also has jurisdiction over civil antitrust enforcement, although it shares civil antitrust enforcement jurisdiction with the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction o ...

(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 The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

and reports to the

Associate Attorney General The associate attorney general of the United States is the third-highest-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice. The associate attorney general advises and assists the attorney general and the deputy attorney general in policies re ...

. The current Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division is Jonathan Kanter, who was sworn into office November 16, 2021.

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 it wasn't until 1919 that the Division was formally established. 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."

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. 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.

Leadership

The head of the Antitrust Division is the Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust (AAG-AT) appointed by the

. Jonathan Kanter was confirmed as Assistant Attorney General on November 16, 2021. 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."

Front Office and Operations

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 I Section * Washington Criminal II Section

Economic Sections

* Economic Analysis Group

Other Offices

* Appellate Section * Competition Policy and Advocacy Section * Executive Office * International Section

References

External links

Official homepage of the Antitrust Division

About the Antitrust Division – Mission, History, Sections and Offices
{{authority control Competition regulators

Antitrust Division 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 prosecutions. It also has jurisdict ...

United States antitrust law Consumer organizations in the United States

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 ...