Historedia
AmericasEvent

United States Department of Justice and Solicitor General created

When
1870
Where
Washington, D.C.
Episodes
2

The United States Department of Justice was established by Congress in 1870, with the bill signed into law by President Grant on June 22. This legislation simultaneously created the office of the Solicitor General to supervise government litigation in the Supreme Court. The Solicitor General, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, reports to the Attorney General and represents the federal government before the Court.

Episodes

  1. June 22, 1870 · Washington, D.C.Creation of the Justice Department

    Congress created the Justice Department in 1870, with the bill signed into law by President Grant on June 22, 1870.

  2. June 22, 1870 · Washington, D.C.Establishment of the Solicitor General

    The office of the Solicitor General was created on June 22, 1870, to supervise government litigation in the Supreme Court.

Background and detail

Legislative Creation. Congress created the Justice Department in 1870, and Grant signed the bill into law on June 22, 1870. The office of the Solicitor General was created on the same date by the efforts of Thomas Jenckes, a representative from Rhode Island, along with Dorman Eaton and William Evarts. The Solicitor General is the fourth-highest-ranking official in the Justice Department and represents the federal government in cases before the Supreme Court.

Institutional Role. The Solicitor General reports directly to the United States Attorney General, who heads the department and reports to the President. The Solicitor General's office argues on behalf of the federal government in almost every Supreme Court case where the United States is a party. The office reviews cases decided against the United States in appellate and district courts to determine whether to seek review or appeal.

People involved

Sources

  1. United States Department of Justice Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-13
  2. Solicitor General of the United States Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-03

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.