United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division
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| Competition law |
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| Basic concepts |
| Anti-competitive practices |
| Enforcement authorities and organizations |
The United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division is responsible for enforcing the antitrust laws of the United States. It shares jurisdiction over civil antitrust cases with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and often works jointly with the FTC to provide regulatory guidance to businesses. However, the Antitrust Division also has the power to file criminal cases against willful violators of the antitrust laws. The Antitrust Division also works with competition regulators in other countries.
Leadership
The head of the Antitrust Division is an Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust (AAG-AT) appointed by the President of the United States. The current AAG-AT is William Baer, whom the U.S. Senate confirmed on December 30, 2012.[1]
Organization
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The Antitrust Division is overseen by Assistant Attorney General William Baer. The Assistant Attorney General is assisted by five Deputy Assistant Attorneys General, who are all career attorneys, who each oversee a different branch of the Division's sections.
- Assistant Attorney General - Antitrust Division
- Deputy Assistant Attorney General - Economic Analysis Branch
- Competition Policy Section
- Economic Litigation Section
- Economic Regulatory Section
- Deputy Assistant Attorney General - International Enforcement Branch
- Foreign Commerce Section
- Deputy Assistant Attorney General - Criminal Enforcement Branch
- National Criminal Enforcement Section
- Atlanta Field Office (slated to be closed prior to fiscal 2013)
- Chicago Field Office
- Cleveland Field Office (slated to be closed prior to fiscal 2013)
- Dallas Field Office (slated to be closed prior to fiscal 2013)
- New York Field Office
- Philadelphia Field Office (slated to be closed prior to fiscal 2013)
- San Francisco Field Office
- Deputy Assistant Attorney General - Regulatory Matters Branch
- Network and Technology Section
- Telecommunications and Media Section
- Transportation, Energy and Agriculture Section
- Deputy Assistant Attorney General - Civil Enforcement Branch
- Litigation I Section
- Litigation II Section
- Litigation III Section
- Deputy Assistant Attorney General - Economic Analysis Branch
The proposed closure of four of the Antitrust Division's seven field offices has been a matter of significant controversy within the Division and among members of Congress. The Attorney General has 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.
