There presently are about 5,000 federal prosecutors. On a day-to-day basis they are responsible for enforcing the law, under both criminal and civil statutes, and for defending the United States when it is the subject of a civil suit.

By both law and custom, federal prosecutors, or Assistant United States Attorneys, have been granted extensive powers that have never been subject to systematic outside review. TRAC currently is working on a TRACFED layer that for the first time ever will give users a way they can examine the official performance of most individual Assistant U.S. Attorneys: what they do and how their record compares with all assistant U.S. Attorneys in the their district and the U.S.

More than sixty years ago, one of America's most respected Attorneys General, Robert H. Jackson, offered his judgement about the power of the Justice Department's front-line officials. "The prosecutors," he said bluntly, "have more control over life, liberty and reputation than any other person in America."

Now, for the first time, examine key aspects of the processing of all matters handled by any individual assistant United States attorney. Matters prosecuted, matters declined, reasons for declinations, and ultimate disposition of those cases that go to courts. Profile the record of each prosecutor, compare that record with other assistant U.S. Attorneys, obtain complete year-by-year case listings. Find data on each prosecutor's salary. . .

But assistant U.S. Attorneys are not the only government lawyers whose special expertise makes them highly influential actors in the operations of the federal government. With that understanding, TRACFED also offers salary information about those lawyers assigned to the various Justice Department divisions in Washington as well as the lawyers working in most other federal agencies.

---