# Justice Manual § 8-3.120: Staffing Cases > Federal · Agency guidance · In force URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.120 ## Section - **Citation:** Justice Manual § 8-3.120 - **Heading:** Staffing Cases - **Jurisdiction:** Federal - **Kind:** Agency guidance - **Status:** In force - **Text as of:** August 14, 2026 - **Source:** Compiled text - **Location:** DOJ Justice Manual / Title 8: Civil Rights / 8-3.000 - Enforcement Of Civil Rights Criminal Statutes / Justice Manual § 8-3.120 ## Text Subject to the general principles contained herein, either the Civil Rights Division or a United States Attorney’s Office may investigate and prosecute on its own any type of criminal civil rights violation. At the outset of a criminal investigation initiated by a United States Attorney’s Office that may implicate federal criminal civil rights statutes, including 18 U.S.C. § 2243(b) and (c), and human trafficking and involuntary servitude statutes, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1581 to 1594, and in no event later than ten days before the commencement of the examination of witnesses before a grand jury, the United States Attorney’s Office shall advise the Civil Rights Division in writing of the new investigation. The notification should be in writing and contain the following information: (1) identity of the targets of the investigation; (2) the factual allegations under investigation; (3) the statutes that may have been violated; (4) the United States Attorney’s Office’s assessment of the significance of the case and whether the case is one of “national interest,” as defined below; and (5) the United States Attorney’s Office’s proposed staffing of the matter, including whether a Civil Rights Division attorney should be assigned to work directly on the matter. The United States Attorney’s Office will advise the Civil Rights Division as the case develops of new information relating to the United States Attorney’s Office’s assessment of the case and whether it is one of “national interest.” nited States Attorney’s Office’s proposed staffing of the matter, including whether a Civil Rights Division attorney should be assigned to work directly on the matter. The United States Attorney’s Office will advise the Civil Rights Division as the case develops of new information relating to the United States Attorney’s Office’s assessment of the case and whether it is one of “national interest.” When an attorney from the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division is jointly working on a case, notification to that attorney is sufficient. If there is no attorney from the Criminal Section assigned to the case, notification should be made to the Deputy Chief who has supervisory authority over cases in the district conducting the investigation or to the Principal Deputy Chief. In cases involving human trafficking or involuntary servitude, notification under this provision shall be made to the Criminal Section’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit at HTPU@usdoj.gov . Similarly, at the outset of a criminal investigation initiated by the Civil Rights Division, the Division should notify the United States Attorney(s) for the district(s) in which the conduct occurred in writing of the new investigation, containing the above information. In cases involving sex trafficking of minors in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1591, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Criminal Division should also be notified. The staffing proposal of the United States Attorney will be given deference by the Civil Rights Division. If the Civil Rights Division does not express disagreement with a staffing proposal by the United States Attorney within three business days, the proposal is deemed acceptable. The Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division retains the final and on-going authority to determine the staffing of any criminal civil rights matter that is being handled jointly. [updated December 2022] [cited in JM 8-3.200 ; JM 9-2.400 ; JM 9-75.030 ] ## Nearby sections - [Justice Manual § 8-3.010 Introduction](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.010.md) - [Justice Manual § 8-3.100 Coordination of Activities](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.100.md) - [Justice Manual § 8-3.120 Staffing Cases](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.120.md) - [Justice Manual § 8-3.130 Cases of National Interest](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.130.md) - [Justice Manual § 8-3.135 High Profile Civil Rights Incident](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.135.md) - [Justice Manual § 8-3.140 Advance Notice/Prior Approvals of Indictments](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.140.md) - [Justice Manual § 8-3.141 Certification Provisions](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.141.md) - [Justice Manual § 8-3.150 Declinations](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.150.md) - [Justice Manual § 8-3.160 Appeals](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.160.md) - [Justice Manual § 8-3.170 Cooperation with State Prosecutions](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.170.md) - [Justice Manual § 8-3.180 Subpoenas Issued to FBI Agents or Other Federal Agents](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.180.md) - [Justice Manual § 8-3.190 Notification to Parties of Closing File](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.190.md) - [Justice Manual § 8-3.195 Production or Disclosure in Federal And State Proceedings of Material or Information in Civil Rights Division Files](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.195.md) - [Justice Manual § 8-3.200 Prior Approvals](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.200.md) --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-3.120. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.