# Justice Manual § 9-23.130: Approval by Assistant Attorney General to Compel Testimony

> Federal · Agency guidance · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-23.130

## Section

- **Citation:** Justice Manual § 9-23.130
- **Heading:** Approval by Assistant Attorney General to Compel Testimony
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Agency guidance
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** DOJ Justice Manual / Title 9: Criminal / 9-23.000 - Witness Immunity / Justice Manual § 9-23.130

## Text

The Attorney General has designated the Assistant Attorneys General and Deputy Assistant Attorneys General of the Criminal, Antitrust, Civil, Civil Rights, Environmental and Natural Resources, and Tax Divisions to review (and approve or deny) requests for immunity (
viz
., authorization to seek compulsion orders) in matters assigned to their respective divisions (28 C.F.R. Sec. 0.175), although this approval is still subject to Criminal Division clearance. This authority extends to requests for immunity from administrative agencies under 18 U.S.C. § 6004. This delegation also applies to the power of the Attorney General under 18 U.S.C. § 6005 to apply to the district court to defer the issuance of an order compelling the testimony of a witness in a congressional proceeding.

NOTE: All requests for immunity, including those whose subject matter is assigned to a Division other than the Criminal Division, must be submitted to the Criminal Division, and no approval may be granted unless the Criminal Division indicates that it has no objection to the proposed grant of immunity (28 C.F.R. Sec. 0.175).

Requests for authorization to seek to compel testimony should be processed using a form available to Department attorneys.

[updated January 2020] [cited in
JM 9-23.110
]

## Nearby sections

- [Justice Manual § 9-23.100 Witness Immunity—Generally](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-23.100.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-23.110 Statutory Authority to Compel Testimony](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-23.110.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-23.130 Approval by Assistant Attorney General to Compel Testimony](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-23.130.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-23.140 Authority to Initiate Immunity Requests](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-23.140.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-23.210 Decision to Request Immunity—The Public Interest](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-23.210.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-23.211 Decision to Request Immunity—Close-Family Exception](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-23.211.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-23.212 Decision to Request Immunity—Conviction Prior to Compulsion](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-23.212.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-23.214 Granting Immunity to Compel Testimony on Behalf of a Defendant](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-23.214.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-23.250 Immunity for the Act of Producing Records](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-23.250.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-23.400 Authorization to Prosecute after Compulsion](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-23.400.md)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-23.130. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.