The 1904 DOJ Register identified two professional staffers responsible for enforcement of antitrust laws, but the Division was not formally established until 1919.

[citation needed] Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer “effected the first important reorganization" of DOJ since it was first established in 1870.

Palmer organized DOJ into divisions, and placed the AtAG “in charge of the Anti-Trust Division.” Palmer's annual report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1919 contained the first public statement that DOJ had a component called the "Antitrust Division.

[2][3][4] The Attorney General posited that the closure of these offices will save money and not negatively affect criminal enforcement.

A significant number of career prosecutors have voiced contrary opinions, noting that the elimination of half of the Division's criminal enforcement offices will increase travel expenses and diminish the likelihood of uncovering local or regional conspiracies.