OFFICE OF LEGAL POLICY

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The Office of Legal Policy (OLP) was originally established in 1981 by merging the Office for Improvements in the Administration of Justice, the Office of Information Law and Policy, and the Office of Privacy and Information Appeals.

The mission of OLP is to develop and implement the Department’s significant policy initiatives, handle special projects that implicate the interests of multiple Department components, coordinate with other interested Department components and other Executive Branch agencies, and serve as the primary policy advisor to the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General; it also reviews and coordinates all regulations promulgated by the Department and all of its components, assists the Attorney General with responsibilities in recommending candidates for federal judgeships, and coordinates the judicial nomination and confirmation process with the White House and the Senate.

The major functions of OLP are to:

• Assist the President and the Attorney General in filling all Article III and certain Article I judicial vacancies.
• Assure policy consistency and coordination among departmental initiatives, briefing materials, and policy statements.
• Conduct policy reviews of legislation and other proposals and support and coordinate departmental efforts to advance the Administration’s legislative and policy agenda.
• Develop strategies and programs to implement legislative and policy initiatives.
• Coordinate regulatory development and the review of all proposed and final rules developed by all Department components.
• Serve as liaison to OMB and other agencies on regulatory matters.
• Provide support and policy expertise in conjunction with other components to implement effectively a number of major ongoing departmental and Administration initiatives in the criminal and civil justice areas.
• Track and coordinate Department implementation of statutory responsibilities and reporting requirements.

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