Attorney General Jeff Sessions welcomed the confirmation of Joseph H. (Jody) Hunt as the Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division.
“I applaud the Senate for the confirmation of Jody Hunt,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “His Department of Justice career extends for nearly 20 years. He has served as Director of the Federal Programs Branch for 15 years, a part of the Civil Division. This branch litigates some of the Justice Department’s most challenging cases at the trial level. I am deeply indebted to Jody for his outstanding service as my Chief of Staff. He is a man of great integrity, energy, and legal skill. He is uniquely qualified to lead the Department’s largest litigation division, where I am confident he will ably advocate this administration’s legal agenda.”
The Civil Division, which functions as the Government’s law firm, is the largest litigating component of the U.S. Department of Justice. Each year, the Civil Division represents the United States and its agencies, Members of Congress, Cabinet Officers, and other federal employees in tens of thousands of cases. In total, the Civil Division litigates matters on behalf of over 100 different federal agencies.
Most recently, Hunt served as Senior Advisor in the Office of Legal Policy following his service as Chief of Staff and Senior Counselor to Attorney General Sessions. Prior to this appointment, he served for fifteen years as Director of the Federal Programs Branch in the Civil Division, where he supervised the Government’s litigation efforts with respect to numerous legal challenges in federal district courts. His litigation responsibilities have concerned a wide range of matters on behalf of many executive agencies, including the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Treasury, and components of the United States Intelligence Community. Hunt is a past recipient of the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award.
Prior to joining federal service in 1999, Hunt worked as a lawyer in private practice. Hunt clerked for Judge James H. Hancock of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama following his graduation in 1989 from Columbia School of Law.
