latest news about United States Department of Justice

How to Get a Job at the U.S. Department of Justice in 2026

by

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has long been one of the most prestigious employers in the federal government, with more than 107,000 employees spread across 40+ components. But 2026 is a paradoxical year: while the agency has lost over 11,200 positions since 2024 under the Trump administration, roughly 7,000 vacancies remain unfilled, and in some districts hiring standards have actually been lowered to attract new candidates. For anyone considering a career in the U.S. federal justice system, this is a moment of crisis and opportunity in equal measure.

Key points:

  • 107,000 total employees: down by 11,200 since fiscal year 2024.
  • 7,000 unfilled positions: the largest hiring gap in recent DOJ history.
  • FBI -7%, DEA -6%, ATF -14%: deep cuts across law enforcement agencies.
  • Civil Rights Division -50%, NSD -38%: the divisions hit hardest.
  • AUSA salaries: from $75,000 entry-level to over $183,500 for senior prosecutors.
  • Lowered standards: in some districts, no prior legal work experience is now required for prosecutor roles.
  • Application channels: USAJobs, OARM, Pathways Programs, Direct Hire Authority.

The data, obtained by Reuters through Freedom of Information Act requests in April 2026, paints the most detailed picture yet of how the DOJ has transformed under the second Trump administration. For job seekers, the lesson is clear: this hiring window is unusual and likely temporary.

What Is the United States Department of Justice and Who Works There

The DOJ Structure in Numbers

The United States Department of Justice is effectively the largest law firm in the world. Founded in 1870 and led by the Attorney General, its official mission is “to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime.”

The DOJ headcount as of April 2026 looks like this:

  • Total staff: roughly 107,000 employees
  • Operating components: more than 40 divisions and offices
  • U.S. Attorney’s Offices: 94 districts across all states and territories
  • Average salary (2026): $86,013 according to PayScale
  • Pay premium: 20% above the average federal government salary, 11.7% above other federal agencies

For anyone planning to apply, understanding this structure is the first practical step.

The Main DOJ Components

The department breaks down into five major operational blocks, each with its own hiring channels:

Litigating Offices:

Law Enforcement:

Corrections:

Grants and Oversight round out the structure, with offices like the Office of the Inspector General and the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

The Great Transformation of 2024-2026

What changes everything in 2026 is the scale of the cuts. According to documents Reuters obtained through FOIA on April 23, 2026, the Trump administration has dramatically reduced DOJ staffing:

  • FBI: -7% (about 2,600 fewer employees)
  • DEA: -6%
  • ATF: -14%
  • National Security Division: -38% (the unit handling terrorism and espionage cases)
  • Civil Rights Division: more than 50% gone
  • Environment and Natural Resources Section: -33%
  • Bureau of Prisons: -2,200 staff (-6%)

This is part of a broader trend. As we covered in our analysis of the 8 industries with the most layoffs in 2026, the public sector has emerged as one of the most affected — and it’s not isolated, with similar contraction visible in school districts quietly falling apart across the country.

Adam Hickey, a former senior official at the National Security Division, summed up the operational impact:

It’s the difference between being proactive and entrepreneurial or purely reactive to the most obvious imperative of the day.

For job candidates, however, this erosion has created a vacuum: roughly 7,000 positions are officially unfilled. It’s the largest recruitment crisis in recent DOJ history.

How to Get a Job at the United States Department of Justice in 2026

The Official Application Channels

The DOJ uses three main recruitment channels, each with a specific purpose:

1. USAJobs — the central federal portal

USAJobs is the centralized platform of the Office of Personnel Management for all federal positions. It allows you to search by location, keyword, or specific DOJ component, build a profile, upload a resume, and receive automated job alerts. For administrative, support, IT, and mission-support roles, this is the mandatory starting point.

2. Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management (OARM) — the channel for lawyers

OARM specifically handles attorney positions, opportunities for law students, and volunteer legal internships. The Search Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships page is the first stop for anyone with a J.D. who wants to enter the DOJ. AUSA (Assistant United States Attorney) postings, trial attorney positions across divisions, and law student internships are all listed here.

3. Component-specific career pages

Law enforcement agencies maintain their own dedicated portals:

The Most In-Demand Profiles in 2026

Given the recruitment crisis, certain positions are particularly accessible in 2026. Based on listings on Indeed and USAJobs, the 237 currently open DOJ positions break down as follows:

  • Associate Attorney: 135 positions
  • Student Volunteer: 46 positions (excellent entry point for students)
  • Attorney: 25 positions
  • Litigation Attorney: 3 positions
  • Civil Enforcement Officer: 2 positions

Geographically, Washington DC concentrates most vacancies (61), followed by Chicago (6), Salem in Oregon (6), Houston (6), and Newark (5).

Lowered Standards for Federal Prosecutors

One of the most controversial consequences of the recruitment crisis is that, in several districts, the DOJ has lowered the requirements to become an Assistant U.S. Attorney. An investigation by the WLS-ABC7 Chicago I-Team on March 24, 2026 revealed that in districts like Minnesota and Arizona, you can now be hired as a federal prosecutor with no prior experience as a working attorney: a J.D. and bar admission are still required, but the formerly mandatory work experience has been eliminated.

Juliet Sorensen, director of the Rule of Law Institute at Loyola University Chicago and a former AUSA, told the I-Team:

The attrition rate now is such, and the recruitment rate is so slow, that those things are meeting in a very sticky, difficult place. We can be talking about people who haven’t clerked for a judge, haven’t practiced at a large or small law firm, have never represented a client, and now you’re representing the United States as your client.

For early-career lawyers, this is a historically unusual window of opportunity: positions that until 2024 required 2-5 years of high-level experience are now accessible with a fresh J.D. and a strong academic record. Important caveat: districts like the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago) have publicly confirmed they are maintaining their traditional two-years-experience requirement.

Special Programs: Pathways, Veterans, Direct Hire

For candidates not yet ready to apply for full-time positions, the DOJ offers several alternative routes:

Pathways Programs: paid federal internships for students providing on-the-job experience across the department’s various roles. Often the most effective stepping stone for anyone wanting to build a DOJ career from the inside.

Veterans Recruitment Programs: the DOJ runs specific programs for veterans, particularly through ICE and other law enforcement agencies. The DHS HERO Child-Rescue Corps recruits veterans as computer forensics analysts.

Direct Hire Authority: in cases of recruitment emergencies (like the current one), the DOJ can bypass the standard competitive process and directly hire highly qualified candidates. In 2026, this mechanism has been activated for many critical positions.

Volunteer Legal Internships: unpaid but extremely competitive legal internships managed by OARM, ideal for top-tier law students looking to build a DOJ-credentialed resume.

How Much the United States Department of Justice Pays in 2026

Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Salaries

AUSAs — the federal prosecutors who represent the U.S. government in court — are paid according to the United States Attorneys’ Pay Chart, a specific scale that factors in seniority and locality pay (cost-of-living adjustment). Here’s the 2026 breakdown:

  • Entry-level AUSA (AD-21/AD-23 grades): $75,000-$95,000 in average locality areas
  • Mid-career AUSA (5-10 years experience, AD-25/AD-27): $120,000-$160,000
  • Senior AUSA (15+ years, supervisory roles): up to $183,500 (capped at Level IV of the Executive Schedule)

Glassdoor data from February 2026 on DOJ Federal Prosecutors shows wider ranges when total compensation is included:

  • Average salary: $245,055/year
  • 25th percentile: $183,792/year
  • 75th percentile: $343,078/year
  • 90th percentile: up to $448,451/year

Worth noting: these Glassdoor numbers reflect senior roles in high-locality-pay markets (DC, NYC, LA), and most AUSAs fall in the $100,000-$150,000 range.

Salaries for Other DOJ Roles

For non-legal positions, here’s the Indeed data on the most common 2026 roles:

Legal:

  • General Attorney: $120,771/year
  • Paralegal: $69,650/year
  • Litigation Paralegal: $29.59/hour

Administrative:

  • Records Clerk: $16.88/hour
  • Secretary: $74,179/year
  • Contract Specialist: $78,294/year

Programs and Social Services:

  • Program Specialist: $81,688/year
  • Recreation Specialist (Bureau of Prisons): $78,188/year

Maintenance (BOP):

  • HVAC Supervisor: $40.57/hour
  • Utility Operator: $27.30/hour

Overall, the average DOJ salary in 2026 is $86,013/year according to PayScale, a 20% premium over the average federal government salary.

The Non-Salary Benefits (Often Worth More Than the Pay)

The real value of a DOJ hire goes well beyond the paycheck. Federal benefits include:

  • Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS): three-tier pension system
  • Thrift Savings Plan (TSP): federal equivalent of a 401(k) with employer matching up to 5%
  • Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB): health coverage with agency subsidy
  • Paid Parental Leave: up to 12 weeks for birth or adoption
  • Annual Leave: 13-26 days of vacation depending on tenure
  • Sick Leave: 13 days per year
  • Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF): student loan cancellation after 10 years of qualifying public service

That last point matters enormously for younger lawyers carrying law school debt: after ten years as an AUSA, remaining qualifying student debt is forgiven. For many, it’s the hidden paycheck of working at DOJ. (Worth comparing this to private-sector severance packages — see our guide on how to negotiate severance in 2026 for the corporate alternative.)

Life as a DOJ Employee in 2026: Politicization vs. Mission

How the Workplace Culture Has Shifted

DOJ employee sentiment in 2026 is polarized. The department’s Indeed score has rebounded to 4.00 out of 5 in 2026 after dropping to 3.20 in 2025 — likely reflecting the post-buyout settling. Category ratings show:

  • Work-Life Balance: 4.0/5
  • Compensation & Benefits: 4.0/5
  • Job Security & Advancement: 3.8/5
  • Management: 3.7/5
  • Culture: 3.8/5

But the qualitative reviews tell a two-track story. A DOJ Analyst wrote in an April 2026 review:

It was great… now… read the news. All I can say is read the news if you want to work here. Used to be independent. Now highly politicized and unstable. Operate every day under a cloud of fear and anxiety.

On the other side, a Trial Attorney from February 2026 paints the opposite picture:

Great for litigation as well as trials, especially if you care about representing the United States. Collegial environment of public servants who seek justice.

The truth is in between: which division you join makes an enormous difference. Traditionally apolitical divisions (Tax, Antitrust, Civil) maintain a more stable culture; those on the political front line (National Security, Civil Rights, Public Integrity) feel the administration’s pressure far more directly. Cultural pressure can also build in non-obvious ways — see, for instance, our coverage of silent burnout signs every employee should watch for in 2026.

Best Divisions for 2026 Job Seekers

If your goal is to maximize your odds of getting hired in 2026, here are the divisions with the most vacancies and lowest barriers:

  • Bureau of Prisons: officially in “staffing crisis,” continuously hiring correctional officers and medical staff. Relatively accessible requirements.
  • U.S. Attorney’s Offices in rural districts: with the lowered standards, ideal for new graduates without prior experience.
  • Civil Rights Division: lost over 50% of staff, actively rebuilding.
  • Environment and Natural Resources Division: -33%, opportunities for environmental lawyers.
  • National Security Division: -38%, but requires security clearance and very specific profiles. The threat landscape — including issues we covered in our analysis of Chinese AI theft and its impact on U.S. workers — keeps this division strategically critical despite the headcount drop.

Career Trajectories (and the Pivot to Private Practice)

Historically, a DOJ position — especially as an AUSA — has been one of the “gold credentials” of the American legal profession. After 5-10 years as an AUSA, the move to private practice typically means a substantial salary jump: former AUSAs are particularly sought after as partners in white-collar defense, compliance, and internal investigations practices.

As Gil Soffer, ABC7 chief legal analyst, observed:

An assistant U.S. attorney position has long been one of the most coveted jobs in the federal government, but certainly in legal circles, and the idea that there would be an urgent need to pull in prosecutors from the junior most ranks is not something I ever expected to see.

For younger lawyers willing to relocate to less-competitive districts, the 2026 window represents a unique opportunity to build a top-tier resume at lower cost than the traditional path (Harvard/Yale + clerkship + BigLaw). Just keep in mind the broader hiring climate — for context on how aggressive the search has become, see our data on how many applications Americans submit before getting hired in 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions About Working at the DOJ

Who can apply to U.S. Department of Justice jobs?

U.S. citizenship is required for the vast majority of DOJ positions, particularly all law enforcement roles (FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals) and AUSA positions. There are limited exceptions: academic and short-term consulting roles at offices like the ICITAP (International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program) can involve foreign nationals as outside consultants. Dual citizens are eligible for all DOJ positions like any other U.S. citizen.

How long does the DOJ hiring process take?

Indeed data from 258 candidates interviewed over the past five years shows an average process of about one month, but reality varies widely: positions requiring security clearance (FBI Special Agent, NSD Attorney) can take 12-18 months between background checks and polygraphs. For Pathways internships and support roles, it can drop to 4-6 weeks.

Is the DOJ better than a major law firm?

It depends on your goals. A Wall Street firm (BigLaw) pays first-year associates $250,000-$300,000, compared to $75,000-$95,000 for an entry-level AUSA. But the DOJ offers: (a) investigative autonomy no private firm can match, (b) immediate trial experience (an AUSA handles trials from year one; a BigLaw associate often won’t see a courtroom for 5+ years), (c) Public Service Loan Forgiveness, (d) credentials for a senior-level lateral move to private practice. For career-builders, 5-7 years at the DOJ followed by a private-sector pivot is often the optimal trajectory.

Which skills are most useful for getting hired at the DOJ in 2026?

The highest-demand areas in 2026 are: cybersecurity and digital forensics (for cybercrime investigations), antitrust and economic law (Antitrust Division priority), immigration law (given administration emphasis), financial analysis and AML (Financial Crimes), and foreign language skills (Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Spanish are strategic). Tech-adjacent legal skills are particularly valuable as the DOJ struggles to keep pace with AI-related crime — a topic we covered in our deep dive on whether AI will really replace all jobs.

Does the Trump administration make the DOJ an unstable employer?

Reuters data shows the DOJ has lost 11,200 employees since 2024, but it also has 7,000 open positions. For candidates, the message is clear: political instability at the top translates into recruitment opportunity at the entry and mid levels. “Career” positions (non-political) are protected by the Civil Service Reform Act and cannot be terminated for political reasons. The decision to apply should factor in the possibility that the administration may shift investigative priorities, but rarely affects the employment of career staff already in place. For a fuller view of layoff protections more generally, see our complete guide to understanding mass layoff regulations.

Conclusion: A Historically Unusual Opportunity Window

The United States Department of Justice in 2026 sits in a paradoxical position that’s unlikely to repeat: it’s simultaneously the most politically exposed agency in recent American history and the one with the highest number of accessible vacancies in decades. For anyone targeting a career in the U.S. federal justice system, hiring conditions are the most favorable they’ve been since the current structure took shape.

The numbers are unambiguous: 7,000 open positions, lowered entry standards across many districts, Pathways and Direct Hire Authority programs activated at scale, divisions that have lost 30-50% of their staff and are scrambling to rebuild. For early-career lawyers, analysts, investigators, and support professionals, this is the widest open door in at least a generation.

At the same time, the internal culture is in flux, institutional independence is under public scrutiny, and day-to-day stability depends heavily on which division you join. As Amy Solomon, a former DOJ official now at the Council on Criminal Justice, summed it up:

The department has been filled with career public servants with specialized expertise who have served Republican and Democratic administrations over years or decades, and to cut that workforce is a huge disservice to our communities and our country.

For job seekers, the pragmatic takeaway is twofold. First, there’s a real opening for candidates with the right credentials (U.S. citizenship, J.D. or relevant graduate degree, strategic language or technical skills) to enter the federal justice system on terms unavailable for at least twenty years. Second, the broader lesson — also visible in the April 2026 jobs report, where private-sector growth concentrated almost exclusively in healthcare while government and tech contracted — is that even the most solid institutions can transform rapidly under political pressure. The stability of public-sector employment is no longer something that can be taken for granted.

Do you want to receive our latest updates right away? Follow us on Google!

Stay up to date with the latest news on jobs and the economy.