Justice Department

U.S. courts can set aside or vacate criminal indictments and other prosecutorial actions that stem from an unlawfully appointed prosecutor.

A dismissal without prejudice permits the prosecuting authority to refile criminal charges in the future.

Statutes of limitations can bar criminal prosecutions if charges are not filed before the statutory deadline expires.

A criminal case dismissed with prejudice bars the prosecuting authority from bringing the same charges again.

A criminal case dismissed without prejudice can be refiled, meaning the prosecuting authority may be able to bring the same charges again.

A provision in a spending package would allow U.S. senators who were directly targeted by the U.S. Department of Justice to sue the federal government for up to $500,000.

The provision would require that U.S. senators be notified if the U.S. Department of Justice requests their information, including via subpoenas of phone records.

The provision was written to apply prospectively as well as retroactively to provide protection for U.S. senators against Department of Justice investigative actions.

A 2025 U.S. federal law requires the Department of Justice to release all files and communications related to financier Jeffrey Epstein and any information about the federal investigation into his 2019 death within 30 days.

The 2025 U.S. federal law permits redactions of information about Jeffrey Epstein’s victims when those details are part of ongoing federal investigations.

The 2025 U.S. federal law bars the Department of Justice from withholding Epstein-related information on grounds of 'embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity'.

Judges in D.C. Superior Court have discredited Metropolitan Police Department Investigator Harvy Hinostroza’s testimony that he smelled marijuana before making arrests in at least two prior cases (reported as of 2025).

U.S. federal courts regard police officers giving false testimony under oath as intolerable because such conduct undermines public confidence in the justice system.

A 2025 NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found that respondents reported little to no confidence in major U.S. institutions including Congress, the media, political parties, the Supreme Court, and the presidency.

Legislation can require the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. attorney's offices to produce files related to specific individuals or entities within a 30-day deadline while permitting the withholding or redaction of survivors' personal information and other sensitive material provided that explanations for withholding are given to Congress.

Legislation can authorize the Department of Justice to withhold or redact records that would jeopardize an active federal investigation or prosecution or that implicate national security.

The U.S. Department of State operates reward programs that offer monetary rewards for information leading to the arrest or capture of individuals wanted by U.S. authorities.

The U.S. Department of Justice can assign U.S. Attorneys to conduct investigations on behalf of the Department.

Congress can enact legislation that compels the U.S. Department of Justice to release its files on a specified subject within a statutory deadline, such as requiring release within 30 days.

The President of the United States can direct executive branch agencies to release or approve the release of agency-held files without new legislation, subject to applicable legal constraints.

A proposed U.S. House bill would require the Attorney General to publicly release all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, the FBI, and U.S. attorneys' offices related to Jeffrey Epstein and his associates within 30 days of the bill becoming law, and would explicitly include investigative and prosecutorial materials, flight logs, travel records, materials about detention and death, names of individuals and entities referenced, internal Justice Department communications, and records concerning destruction, deletion, alteration, misplacement, or concealment of documents or electronic data.

Legislation can direct the U.S. Department of Justice to redact identifying details and child sexual abuse materials from files it releases.

The United States Congress can pass legislation that would require the Department of Justice to release files related to a federal investigation.

A law enacted as part of a legislative-branch funding measure grants any U.S. senator whose Senate data or a Senate office's data was acquired, subpoenaed, searched, accessed, or disclosed in violation of the law a private civil action against the United States when the violation was committed by an officer, employee, or agent of the United States or of any federal department or agency.

The law requires service providers to notify U.S. senators if their phone records or other data are seized or subpoenaed, and a court cannot delay that notification unless the senator is the target of a criminal investigation.

The law entitles any U.S. senator to statutory damages of $500,000 for each violation of the law's data-notification and access protections.

The law is retroactive to 2022, allowing violations dating from 2022 onward to form the basis for civil actions by U.S. senators under the statute.

Ghislaine Maxwell was charged in 2020 and was later convicted and sentenced to a 20-year prison term for her role in recruiting, grooming, and facilitating the sexual abuse of underage girls in connection with Jeffrey Epstein.

Jeffrey Epstein was charged in 2019 with federal offenses alleging sex trafficking of minors.

Crossfire Hurricane was the FBI probe opened on July 31, 2016, into possible ties between the 2016 Trump presidential campaign and Russia.

Jeffrey Epstein was a financier who was a convicted sex offender.

Congress has the authority to pass legislation that requires federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, to disclose investigatory files or other records.

Congressional committees can refer individuals they investigate to the Department of Justice for potential criminal prosecution, and the Department of Justice is not legally required to pursue prosecution based on those referrals.

Federal rules impose grand jury secrecy obligations that generally restrict disclosure of grand-jury material and can limit what witnesses or officials are permitted to testify about in other forums.

The Department of Justice has a recognized practice of restricting line prosecutors from testifying before Congress without Departmental authorization or appropriate counsel, according to customary departmental safeguards.

The U.S. Congress can refer individuals or investigative targets to the U.S. Department of Justice for criminal prosecution, and the Department of Justice is not legally obligated to pursue charges in response to such referrals.

United States federal grand jury rules impose secrecy obligations that restrict the disclosure of grand jury materials and testimony.

A legislative provision would permit only U.S. senators who were directly targeted by Department of Justice requests for their information to sue the U.S. government for monetary damages up to $500,000.

Federal grand juries deliberate and vote on whether to return indictments, and prosecutors can edit an indictment to remove counts that the grand jury did not approve.

A U.S. law can compel the U.S. Department of Justice and the Attorney General to produce case files and internal communications from federal investigations.

Disclosure laws can authorize withholding of victims' personally identifiable information and child sexual abuse material from public release.

Disclosure laws can authorize withholding information that is deemed classified for national defense or foreign policy or that would jeopardize active investigations or prosecutions.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia functions both as the federal prosecutor and, effectively, as the local district attorney for nearly all serious adult crimes in the District of Columbia.

In the District of Columbia, federal grand juries are typically reserved for the consideration of more serious crimes.

The District of Columbia legal system includes local (city) grand juries that can be used to secure indictments in local prosecutions.