Justice, Department of

US government department created in 1870. Its tasks are to enforce the law, ensure public safety against domestic and foreign threats, prevent and control crime, administer and enforce immigration laws fairly and effectively, and ensure fair and impartial administration of justice. Its agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Prisons. It is headed by the attorney general. The first attorney general was Edmund Randolph, in 1789. The attorney general is Alberto Gonzales (from 2005).