The Attorney General has directed the Office of Legal Counsel
to publish selected opinions for the convenience of the executive,
legislative, and judicial branches of the government, and of
the professional bar and the general public. The authority of
the Office of Legal Counsel to render legal opinions is derived
from the authority of the Attorney General. Under the Judiciary
Act of 1789, the Attorney General was authorized to render opinions
on questions of law when requested by the President and the
heads of executive departments. This authority is now codified
at 28 U.S.C. §§ 511-513. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 510
the Attorney General has delegated to the Office of Legal Counsel
responsibility for preparing the formal opinions of the Attorney
General, rendering opinions to the various federal agencies,
assisting the Attorney General in the performance of his function
as legal adviser to the President, and rendering opinions to
the Attorney General and the heads of the various organizational
units of the Department of Justice. 28 C.F.R. § 0.25.
The web site includes Office of Legal Counsel opinions that
the Department of Justice has determined are appropriate for
publication. Volumes 1-20 of the published Opinions of the Office
of Legal Counsel contain the official versions of opinions for
the years 1977-1996. Those opinions are also available on Westlaw
and LEXIS. Additional volumes containing opinions for subsequent
years will continue to be published on a regular basis.
The opinions on this web site are arranged -- but not necessarily
added to the site -- in the order that they were sent to their
addressees by OLC. Thus, despite the presence of opinions issued
in 2003, opinions issued in earlier years may still be added
to the site in the future.
Memoranda and Opinions By Year
For additional information please contact
the Office of Legal Counsel at the following address:
Office of Legal Counsel
United States Department of Justice
Washington, DC 20530
(202) 514-2051