Reading Room Document

Constraints Imposed by 18 U.S.C. § 1913 on Lobbying Efforts

The Anti-Lobbying Act prohibits substantial "grass roots" lobbying campaigns of telegrams, letters, and other private forms of communication designed to encourage members of the public to pressure members of Congress to support Administration or Department legislative or appropriations proposals. The Anti-Lobbying Act does not prohibit (1) direct communications between Department of Justice officials and Members of Congress and their staffs; (2) public speeches, appearances, and writings; (3) private communications designed to inform the public about Administration positions or to promote those positions, as long as there is no significant expenditure of appropriated funds; (4) the traditional activities of Department components whose duties historically have included communicating the Department's views to Congress, the media, or the public; or (5) communications or activities unrelated to legislation or appropriations, such as lobbying Congress or the public to support Administration nominees. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/24326/download.

September 28, 1989