Minister of Justice (France)

The French Minister of Justice ("Ministre de la Justice") is an important cabinet member in the Government of France. The current Minister of Justice is Rachida Dati.

The minister's roles are the following:
* overseeing the building, maintenance and administrative management of the court system;
* vice-president of the high council of the judiciary (which oversees the career of most judges, and advises on the careers of prosecutors);
* supervising the public prosecutors;
* overseeing the prison system; and
* proposing bills on civil or criminal law or procedure.

An ongoing topic of controversy is the amount of control that the minister of justice should have on the public prosecution service. While it seems desirable that the prosecution should not follow the whim of the executive, especially in cases involving politicians (corruption...), some argue that a prosecution service responsible to no one could go astray.

The Minister of Justice also, as Keeper of the Seals, retains the Great Seal of France.

Ministers of Justice

1790 to the Third Republic

*Marguerite-Louis-François Duport-Dutertre, 1790-92
*Jean Marie Roland de la Platière, March-April, 1792
*Antoine Duranton, April-July, 1792
*Étienne Dejoly, July-August, 1792
*Georges Jacques Danton, August-October, 1792
*Dominique Joseph Garat, 1792-93
*Louis Gohier, 1793-94
*Philippe-Antoine Merlin de Douai, 1795-96
*Charles Génissieu, January-April, 1796
*Philippe Antoine Merlin de Douai, 1796-97
*Charles Joseph Lambrechts, 1797-99
*Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, July-December, 1799
*André Joseph Abrial, 1799-1802
*Claude Ambroise Régnier, duc de Massa, 1802-13
*Mathieu Louis Molé, 1813-14
*Pierre Paul Nicolas Henrion de Pansey, April-May, 1814
*Charles-Henri Dambray, 1814-15
*Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, March-June, 1815
*Antoine Boulay de la Meurthe, June-July, 1815
*Étienne-Denis Pasquier, July-September, 1815
*François de Barbé-Marbois, 1815-16
*Charles-Henri Dambray, 1816-17
*Étienne-Denis Pasquier, 1817-18
*Pierre François Hercule de Serre, 1818-21
*Charles Ignace de Peyronnet, 1821-28
*Joseph Marie Portalis, 1828-29
*Pierre Bourdeau, May-August 1829
*Jean de Courvoisier, 1829-30
*Jean de Chantelauze, May-July, 1830
*Jacques Charles Dupont de l'Eure, July-December, 1830
*Joseph Mérilhou, 1830-31
*Félix Barthe, 1831-34
*Jean-Charles Persil, 1834-36
*Paul Jean Pierre Sauzet, February-September, 1836
*Jean-Charles Persil, 1836-37
*Félix Barthe, 1837-39
*Amédée Girod de l'Ain, March-May, 1839
*Jean-Baptiste Teste, 1839-40
*Alexandre-François Vivien, March-October, 1840
*Nicolas Martin du Nord, 1840-47
*Michel Hébert, 1847-48
*Adolphe Crémieux, February-June, 1848
*Eugène Bethmont, June-July, 1848
*Alexandre Marie, July-December, 1848
*Eugène Rouher, 1847-1851
*Joseph Corbin, October-November, 1851
*Alfred Daviel, November-December, 1851
*Eugène Rouher, 1851-52
*Jean Pierre Charles Abbatucci, 1852-57
*Paul de Royer, 1857-59
*Claude Delangle, 1859-63
*Pierre Jules Baroche, 1863-69
*Jean-Baptiste Duvergier, 1869-70
*Émile Ollivier, January-August 1870
*Michel Grandperret, August-September, 1870

Third Republic

*Adolphe Crémieux, 1870-71
*Jules Dufaure, 1871-73
*Jean Ernoul, May-November, 1873
*Octave Depeyre, 1873-74
*Adrien Tailhand, 1874-75
*Jules Dufaure, 1875-76
*Louis Martel, 1876-77
*Albert, duc de Broglie, May-November, 1877
*François Le Pelletier, November-December, 1877
*Jules Dufaure, 1877-79
*Philippe Le Royer, February-December, 1879
*Jules Cazot, 1879-82
*Gustave Humbert, January-August, 1882
*Paul Devès, 1882-83
*Félix Martin-Feuillée, 1883-1885
*Henri Brisson, 1885-1886
*Charles Demôle, January-December, 1886
*Ferdinand Sarrien, 1886-87
*Charles Mazeau, May-November, 1887
*Armand Fallières, 1887-88
*Jean-Baptiste Ferrouillat, 1888-89
*Jean François Edmond Guyot Dessaigne, February, 1889
*François Thévenet, 1889-90
*Armand Fallières, 1890-92
*Louis Ricard, February-December, 1892
*Léon Bourgeois, 1892-93
*Jules Develle, March, 1893
*Léon Bourgeois, March-April, 1893
*Eugène Guérin, April-December, 1893
*Antonin Dubost, 1893-94
*Eugène Guérin, 1894-95
*Ludovic Trarieux, January-November, 1895
*Louis Ricard, 1895-96
*Jean-Baptiste Darlan, 1896-97
*Victor Milliard, 1897-98
*Ferdinand Sarrien, June-November, 1898
*Georges Lebret, 1898-99
*Ernest Monis, 1899-1902
*Ernest Vallé, 1902-05
*Joseph Chaumié, 1905-06
*Ferdinand Sarrien, March-October, 1906
*Jean François Edmond Guyot Dessaigne, 1906-07
*Aristide Briand, 1908-09
*Louis Barthou, 1909-10
*Théodore Girard, 1910-11
*Antoine Perrier, March-June, 1911
*Jean Cruppi, 1911-12
*Aristide Briand, 1912-13
*Louis Barthou, January-March, 1913
*Antony Ratier, March-December, 1913
*Jean Bienvenu-Martin, 1913=14
*Alexandre Ribot, June, 1914
*Jean Bienvenu-Martin, June-August, 1914
*Aristide Briand, 1914-15
*René Viviani, 1915-17
*Raoul Péret, September-November, 1917
*Louis Nail, 1917-20
*Gustave L'Hopiteau, 1920-21
*Laurent Bonnevay, 1921-22
*Louis Barthou, January-October, 1922
*Maurice Colrat, 1922-24
*Edmond Lefebvre du Prey, March-June, 1924
*Antony Ratier, June, 1924
*René Renoult, 1924-25
*Théodore Steeg, April-October, 1925
*Anatole de Monzie, October, 1925
*Camille Chautemps, October-November, 1925
*René Renoult, 1925-26
*Pierre Laval, March-July 1926
*Maurice Colrat, July, 1926
*Louis Barthou, 1926-29
*Lucien Hubert, 1929-30
*Théodore Steeg, February-March, 1930
*Raoul Péret, March-November 1930
*Henry Chéron, 1931-31
*Léon Bérard, 1931-32
*Paul Reynaud, February-June, 1932
*René Renoult, June-December 1932
*Abel Gardey, 1932-1933
*Eugène Penancier, January-October, 1933
*Albert Dalimier, October-November 1933
*Eugène Raynaldy, 1933-34
*Eugène Penancier, January-February, 1934
*Henry Chéron, February-October, 1934
*Henry Lémery, October-November, 1934
*Georges Pernot, 1934-35
*Léon Bérard, 1935-36
*Marc Rucart, 1936-37
*Vincent Auriol, 1937-38
*César Campinchi, January-March 1938
*Marc Rucart, March-April, 1938
*Paul Reynaud, April-November 1938
*Paul Marchandeau, 1938-39
*Georges Bonnet, 1939-40
*Albert Sérol, March-June 1940
*Charles Frémicourt, June-July 1940

Provisional Government

*Raphaël Alibert, 1940-41
*Joseph Barthélémy, 1941-43
*Maurice Gabolde, 1943-44
*Jules Abadie, June-September, 1943
*François de Menthon, 1943-44

Fourth Republic

*François de Menthon, 1944-45
*Pierre-Henri Teitgen, 1945-46
*Paul Ramadier, 1946-47
*André Marie, 1947-48
*Robert Lecourt, July-September 1948
*André Marie, 1948-49
*Robert Lecourt, February-October 1949
*René Mayer, 1949-51
*Edgar Faure, 1952-52
*Léon Martinaud-Deplat 1952-53
*Paul Ribeyre, 1953-54
*Émile Hugues, June-September 1954
*Jean Michel Guérin du Bosq de Beaumont, 1954-55
*Emmanuel Temple, January-February 1955
*Robert Schuman, 1955-56
*François Mitterrand, 1956-57
*Édouard Corniglion-Molinier, February-June 1957
*Robert Lecourt, 1957-58

Fifth Republic

*Michel Debré, 1958-59
*Edmond Michelet, 1959-62
*Bernard Chenot, 1961-62
*Jean Foyer, 1962-67
*Louis Joxe, 1968-68
*René Capitant, 1968-69
*Jean-Marcel Jeanneney, April-June, 1969
*René Pleven, 1969-73
*Jean Taittinger, 1973-74
*Jean Lecanuet, 1974-76
*Olivier Guichard, 1976-77
*Alain Peyrefitte, 1977-81
*Maurice Faure, May-June 1981
*Robert Badinter, 1981-86
*Michel Crépeau, February-March, 1986
*Albin Chalandon, 1986-88
*Pierre Arpaillange, 1988-90
*Henri Nallet, 1990-92
*Michel Vauzelle, 1992-93
*Pierre Méhaignerie, 1993-95
*Jacques Toubon, 1994-97
*Élisabeth Guigou, 1997-2000
*Marylise Lebranchu, 2000-02
*Dominique Perben, 2002-05
*Pascal Clément, 2005-07
*Rachida Dati, 2007-

ee also

*List of Justice Ministers of France