The
Office of Legal Policy is a division within the
United States Department of
Justice
which describes itself as the "focal point for the
development and coordination of Departmental policy." In
addition to rendering legal advice to the
United States Attorney
General and subordinate offices within the Justice Department,
it serves as a nexus where major policy decisions within the
Department can be developed, coordinated, and successfully
implemented.
History
The Office of Legal Policy (OLP) was established by Attorney
General
William French Smith in
1981 as the principal Department office to plan, develop, and
coordinate the implementation of major policy initiatives of high
priority to the Department and to the Administration, and to assist
the President and the Attorney General in the Administration's
judicial selection process for
Article III judges. OLP
devoted considerable efforts to the areas of criminal and civil
justice reform, as had some of its predecessor policy offices
(among them, the Office of Criminal Justice, the Office of Policy
and Planning, and the Office for Improvements in the Administration
of Justice). OLP also supervised the work of the Office of
Information and Privacy (OIP) with respect to
Freedom of
Information and
Privacy Act
matters.
In 1989, the office was renamed as the Office of Policy Development
(OPD), and OIP was established as a separate Department component.
For a one-year period, OPD was organized as a component of the
newly-created Office of Policy and Communications, together with
the Office of Public Affairs and the Office of Intergovernmental
Affairs. In 1993, that structure was discontinued and OPD was
established again as an independent component.
In May 2001, Attorney General
John
Ashcroft restored the name of the office as the Office of Legal
Policy and confirmed its principal policy role within the
Department.
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