Environmental Justice Tracker

EJ Tracker Update

Attorney General Garland Restored DOJ’s Office for Access to Justice

Last updated:

October 29, 2021

Statute

N/A

Agencies

DOJ

Actions

Change to Agency Structure

Attorney General Merrick Garland restored DOJ’s Office for Access to Justice, which aims to provide services to people who cannot afford lawyers and increase legal representation for historically underserved communities. A DOJ report outlined a phased approach to restoring and expanding the office’s functions, and identified “pursuing environmental justice, including by ensuring the fair treatment of all people with respect to environmental laws, regulations, and policies” as one of the DOJ’s “expanded priority areas.”