United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division

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 the Division was not formally established until 1919.^{[citation needed]}

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."^[2]

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.^[3][4][5] 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.

The head of the Antitrust Division is the Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust (AAG-AT) appointed by the President of the United States. Jonathan Kanter was confirmed as Assistant Attorney General on November 16, 2021.^[6]

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."^[7]

As of June 25, 2015^[update], the division consists of these sections and offices:^[8]

• Assistant Attorney General
• Deputy Assistant Attorneys General
• Chief of Staff and Senior Advisors
• Directors of Enforcement
• Office of the Chief Legal Advisor

• 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

• Chicago Office
• New York Office
• Procurement Collusion Strike Force
• San Francisco Office
• Washington Criminal Section

• Economic Analysis Group

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

• Competition Bureau (Canadian counterpart)
• Competition policy
• Competition regulator
• Federal Trade Commission
• United States v. Microsoft Corp.

• Official homepage of the Antitrust Division
• About the Antitrust Division – Mission, History, Sections and Offices