Chapter 09 What Agency Am I?

I am the education and research agency for the federal courts. Congress created me in 1967 to promote improvements in judicial administration in the U.S. courts.

In consultation with the attorney general, I assist the president in the exercise of executive clemency as authorized under Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution. All requests for executive clemency for federal offenses are directed to me for investigation and review. I prepare the department’s recommendation to the president for final disposition of each application. Executive clemency may take several forms, including pardon, commutation of sentence, remission of fine or restitution, and reprieve.

I coordinate the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) for the Department of Justice. I am responsible for ADR policy matters and training, assisting lawyers in selecting the right cases for dispute resolution, and finding appropriate neutrals to serve as mediators, arbitrators, and neutral evaluators. I also coordinate the Interagency ADR Working Group, an organization that promotes the use of ADR throughout federal executive branch agencies.