DOJ Imposes Minimum Open-Case Quotas on Federal Prosecutors
Federal prosecutors nationwide must now carry a minimum number of open matters, signaling DOJ's push for sustained enforcement throughput that companies facing investigations should expect to outlast any single case team.
Reports indicate the Department of Justice has directed all federal prosecutors to maintain a baseline number of active cases at any given time, formalizing productivity expectations across U.S. Attorney's Offices. The policy reframes case management from a reactive posture to a quota-driven pipeline, with line prosecutors evaluated on sustained throughput rather than individual dispositions. For in-house counsel, this means investigations are less likely to be closed quietly or deprioritized mid-cycle, and parallel or successor matters may be opened even where an existing case is winding down. Companies under scrutiny should anticipate more aggressive timeline pressure, broader use of supplemental subpoenas, and reduced willingness by DOJ to negotiate narrow resolutions. Practical steps include preserving investigative readiness, pre-clearing key custodians, and budgeting for multi-stage document production rather than a single sweep.