Lamar Smith: “I support House Resolution 1422 to honor the Department of Justice on the occasion of its 140th anniversary. In 1870…”

“I support House Resolution 1422 to honor the Department of Justice on the occasion of its 140th anniversary. In 1870 Congress passed the ``Act to Establish the Department of Justice.'' President Ulysses S. Grant signed the bill into law on June 22, 1870, and the Department of Justice officially began operations on July 1, 1870. The Office of the Attorney General, created by the ``Judiciary Act of 1789,'' was in need of more attorneys after the Civil War. The 1870 Act met this need by creating the Department of Justice to oversee federal law enforcement as well as criminal prosecutions and civil suits in which the United States has an interest. The Act also created the Office of the Solicitor General. While the 1870 Act still remains the foundation on which the Department of Justice stands, the structure of the Department of Justice has changed over the past 140 years. Today the Department of Justice comprises seven litigating divisions and 93 United States attorneys and thousands of assistant United States attorneys who enforce our civil and criminal laws, including tax, environmental, and immigration laws, and defend the United States from claims.”