The Chief of the Civil Division, John B. Hughes, has responsibility for the supervision of all Civil Division AUSAs and the operation of the Civil Division.
The Civil Division handles a wide variety of cases where the United States or its employees are plaintiffs or defendants.
The Civil Division’s Defensive Unit, which is headed by AUSA Michelle McConaghy, defends claims filed against the United States, including tort, medical malpractice, employment discrimination, immigration and foreclosures. The Defensive Unit also defends claims brought against individual federal employees (Bivens claims).
The Civil Division’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement and Civil Rights Unit, which is headed by AUSA Richard Molot, pursues claims on behalf of the United States in cases involving health care fraud, defense contractor fraud, drug diversion, forfeitures and environmental violations.
In addition, the Civil Division maintains a Civil Rights enforcement program, which brings civil rights actions to enforce federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status and national origin and to recover damages for victims of civil rights violations. The majority of the civil rights cases are brought to enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Fair Housing Act (FHA), the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA).
The Civil Division also has a Financial Litigation Unit, which is responsible for collecting debts owed to the United States. The Financial Litigation Unit is headed by AUSA Christine Sciarrino.