Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Attorney General
The Office of the Attorney General was created in 1789. At first, it was a one-person, part-time job. The lawyer chosen for this job was supposed to know the law well. He served as the head lawyer for the United States. He prosecuted cases for the country. He advised the president on legal matters. The job soon proved to be too much for one person to handle. Other lawyers were paid to take cases for the United States.
After the Civil War, there were many legal cases. A lot of money was being paid to the lawyers who took care of these cases. Congress passed the Act to Establish the Department of Justice in 1870. It made the attorney general the head of this new department. The attorney general is also the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The new department was established to handle all the legal business of the United States.
