Office of the Assistant Attorney General

The Office of the Assistant Attorney General establishes policy and provides executive direction and control over litigative enforcement and administrative management activities in the Division.

Administrative Management Section

In support of the enforcement responsibilities of the Division, the Administrative Management Section provides a diverse array of management and technical services. These services include, but are not limited to, personnel administration, budget formulation and execution, facility services, mail and file operations, and automated systems.

Appellate Section

The Appellate Section has primary responsibility for handling civil rights cases in the courts of appeals and, in cooperation with the Solicitor General, in the Supreme Court.

Complaint Adjudication Office

The Complaint Adjudication Office reviews cases provided to it by departmental components or the EEOC alleging employment discrimination by employees of the Department of Justice and renders a final decision for the Department.

Coordination and Review Section

The Coordination and Review Section exercises both programmatic and non-litigation enforcement responsibilities. Under Executive Order 12250, the Section coordinates the enforcement by Federal agencies of various statutes that prohibit discrimination in programs that receive Federal financial assistance. The Section also has authority to investigate certain complaints of discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, and religion against certain recipients of assistance from the Department of Justice.

Criminal Section

The federal criminal civil rights statutes provide for prosecutions of conspiracies to interfere with federally protected rights, deprivation of rights under color of law, the use or threat of force to injure or intimidate someone in their enjoyment of specific rights (such as voting, employment, education, public facilities and accommodations) and criminal housing interference.

Disability Rights Section

The Disability Rights Section implements the Department of Justice's responsibilities under titles I, II, and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment (Title I), in all activities of state and local governments (Title II), in places of public accommodation and in commercial facilities (Title III). The Section's responsibilities include enforcement, technical assistance activities and certification of building codes. Enforcement responsibilities cover a broad spectrum of potential actions including investigations, informal or formal settlement agreements, consent decrees (approved by a court), and litigation. To promote voluntary compliance with the ADA and to enhance enforcement efforts, the Technical Assistance Program provides free information and technical assistance to businesses,state and local governments, people with disabilities, and the general public. The Section also develops regulations to implement Titles II and III of the ADA, including standards for accessible design, and coordinates Federal enforcement of Title II and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and other Federal statutes that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in programs that receive Federal financial assistance. The Section also operates a pilot project to facilitate the use of mediation to settle ADA disputes.

Educational Opportunities Section

The Educational Opportunities Section enforces federal statutes which prohibit public school officials from engaging in discriminatory practices involving both elementary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education.

Employment Litigation Section

The Employment Litigation Section enforces against state and local government employers the provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, and other federal laws prohibiting employment practices that discriminate on grounds of race, sex, religion, and national origin.

Housing and Civil Enforcement Section

The Housing and Civil Enforcement Section has principal responsibility for enforcing the Fair Housing Act of 1968, as amended, which prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap and familial status. In addition to its enforcement responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act, the Section enforces the Equal Credit Opportunity Act which prohibits discrimination in credit transactions, and Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodations, such as hotels, restaurants and places of entertainment, and Title III of the 1964 Act which prohibits discrimination in public facilities.

Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices

The Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices investigates and prosecutes employers charged with national origin and citizenship status discrimination under Section 102 of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). It also investigates allegations of document abuse and retaliation as a result of the Immigration Act of 1990.

Special Litigation Section

The Special Litigation Section is responsible for protecting the constitutional and federal statutory rights of persons confined in certain institutions owned or operated by state or local governments. These institutions include facilities for individuals who are mentally ill and developmentally disabled, elderly persons in nursing homes, inmates in prisons and jails and juveniles confined in detention halls. The Section also investigates state and local law enforcement agencies alleged to engage in a pattern or practice of violating citizens' federal rights and may bring civil lawsuits to remedy such abuses. The Section has also been charged with the civil enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act which prohibits the use of force, threats or physical obstruction to interfere with access to reproductive health services clinics or places of worship.

Voting Section

The Voting Section is responsible for the enforcement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and other statutory provisions designed to safeguard the right to vote of racial and language minorities, disabled and illiterate persons, overseas citizens, persons who change their residence shortly before a Presidential election, and persons 18 to 20 years of age.

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Page last updated October 17, 2000