Minister of Justice (France)
Encyclopedia
The Ministry of Justice is controlled by the French Minister of Justice (Ministre de la Justice), a top-level cabinet
position in the French government
. The current Minister of Justice is Michel Mercier. The ministry is headquartered in Paris.
The roles of the minister are to:
An ongoing topic of controversy is the amount of control that the Minister of Justice should have on public prosecutions. 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 holds the ceremonial office of Keeper of the Seals
and, as such, is custodian of the Great Seal of France
.
The French government does not keep demographic statistics of prisoners. Around 2008 demographers, Muslim leaders, and sociologists estimated that inmate populations around France averaged to about 60–70% Muslim. The concentrations were higher in metropolitan areas with concentrated Muslim populations, such as Paris, Marseille
, and Lille
. In 2010 the prisons in the French Prison Service has one of the highest rates of prisoner suicide in Europe.
French government ministers
The Cabinet of France is a body of top administration members of the Prime Minister's Cabinet. In French, the word gouvernement generally refers to the "Administration", but in a narrower sense to the Cabinet.The Council is responsible to the French National Assembly...
position in the French government
Government of France
The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
. The current Minister of Justice is Michel Mercier. The ministry is headquartered in Paris.
The roles of the minister are to:
- oversee the building, maintenance and administration of courts;
- sit as vice-president of the judicial council (which oversees the judicial performance and advises on prosecutiorial performance);
- supervise public prosecutions;
- direct corrections and the prison system
- propose legislation affecting civil or criminal law or procedure.
An ongoing topic of controversy is the amount of control that the Minister of Justice should have on public prosecutions. 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 holds the ceremonial office of Keeper of the Seals
Keeper of the seals
The title Keeper of the Seals or equivalent is used in several contexts, denoting the person entitled to keep and authorize use of the Great Seal of a given country. The title may or may not be linked to a particular cabinet or ministerial office.- Canada :...
and, as such, is custodian of the Great Seal of France
Great Seal of France
The Great Seal of France is the official seal of the French Republic.- Description :The Great Seal features Liberty personnified as a seated Juno wearing a crown with seven arches. She holds a fasces and is supported by a ship's tiller with a cock carved or printed on it. At her feet is a vase...
.
Bureaus and Offices
The French Ministry of Justice is subdivided into a number of departments, namely:- Cabinet du ministre – Cabinet to the Minister
- Secrétariat général – Administration
- Inspection Générale des Services Judiciaires (IGSJ) – Office of Inspector General
- Direction des Services Judiciaires (DSJ) – Office of Court Administration
- Direction des Affaires civiles et du Sceau (DACS) – Office of Civil Justice
- Direction des affaires criminelles et des grâces (DACG) – Office of Public Prosecutions
- French Prison Service (Direction de l'administration pénitentiaire (DAP) – "Bureau of Corrections")
- Direction de la protection judiciaire de la jeunesse (DPJJ) – Office of Juvenile Justice
- Service de contrôle budgétaire et comptable ministériel (SDM) – Office of Accounting and Budget
French Prison Service
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, and Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
. In 2010 the prisons in the French Prison Service has one of the highest rates of prisoner suicide in Europe.
1790 to the Third Republic
- Marguerite-Louis-François Duport-Dutertre, 1790–92
- Jean Marie Roland de la PlatièreJean-Marie Roland, vicomte de la PlatièreJean-Marie Roland, de la Platière was a French manufacturer in Lyon and became the leader of the Girondist faction in the French Revolution, largely influenced in this direction by his wife, Marie-Jeanne "Manon" Roland de la Platiere...
, March–April, 1792 - Antoine Duranton, April–July, 1792
- Étienne Dejoly, July–August, 1792
- Georges Jacques Danton, August–October, 1792
- Dominique Joseph GaratDominique Joseph GaratDominique Joseph Garat was a French writer and politician.- Biography :Garat was born at Bayonne...
, 1792–93 - Louis Gohier, 1793–94
- Philippe-Antoine Merlin de DouaiPhilippe-Antoine Merlin de DouaiPhilippe-Antoine Merlin de Douai was a French politician and lawyer.-Early years:Merlin de Douai was born at Arleux, Nord, and was called to the Flemish bar association in 1775...
, 1795–96 - Charles Génissieu, January–April, 1796
- Philippe Antoine Merlin de Douai, 1796–97
- Charles Joseph Lambrechts, 1797–99
- Jean Jacques Régis de CambacérèsJean Jacques Régis de CambacérèsJean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès, 1st Duke of Parma was a French lawyer and statesman during the French Revolution and the First Empire, best remembered as the author of the Napoleonic code, which still forms the basis of French civil law.-Early career:Cambacérès was born in Montpellier, into a...
, July–December, 1799 - André Joseph AbrialAndré Joseph AbrialAndré Joseph Abrial was a French politician and Minister of Justice from 1799 to 1802.-References:...
, 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 CambacérèsJean Jacques Régis de CambacérèsJean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès, 1st Duke of Parma was a French lawyer and statesman during the French Revolution and the First Empire, best remembered as the author of the Napoleonic code, which still forms the basis of French civil law.-Early career:Cambacérès was born in Montpellier, into a...
, March–June, 1815 - Antoine Boulay de la Meurthe, June–July, 1815
- Étienne-Denis PasquierÉtienne-Denis PasquierÉtienne-Denis, duc de Pasquier , Chancelier de France, , was a French statesman...
, July–September, 1815 - François de Barbé-Marbois, 1815–16
- Charles-Henri Dambray, 1816–17
- Étienne-Denis PasquierÉtienne-Denis PasquierÉtienne-Denis, duc de Pasquier , Chancelier de France, , was a French statesman...
, 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 TesteJean-Baptiste TesteJean-Baptiste Teste was a French politician of the July Monarchy. He fell from grace in the Teste-Cubières scandal.-Early life:...
, 1839–40 - Alexandre-François Vivien, March–October, 1840
- Nicolas Martin du Nord, 1840–47
- Michel Hébert, 1847–48
- Adolphe CrémieuxAdolphe CrémieuxAdolphe Crémieux was a French-Jewish lawyer and statesman, and a staunch defender of the human rights of the Jews of France. - Biography :...
, February–June, 1848 - Eugène Bethmont, June–July, 1848
- Alexandre Marie, July–December, 1848
- Eugène RouherEugène RouherEugène Rouher was a French statesman of the Second Empire.He was born at Riom , where he practised law after taking his degree in Paris in 1835. In 1846 he sought election to the Chamber of Deputies as an official candidate of the Guizot ministry...
, 1847–1851 - Joseph Corbin, October–November, 1851
- Alfred Daviel, November–December, 1851
- Eugène RouherEugène RouherEugène Rouher was a French statesman of the Second Empire.He was born at Riom , where he practised law after taking his degree in Paris in 1835. In 1846 he sought election to the Chamber of Deputies as an official candidate of the Guizot ministry...
, 1851–52 - Jacques Pierre AbbatucciJacques Pierre Abbatucci (minister)Jacques-Pierre Charles Abbatucci was a Corsican-born French politician. He was a grandson of Jacques Pierre Abbatucci and a nephew of Charles Abbatucci, both of them generals of the French Revolutionary Wars.-Life:He began his professional life as a lawyer, finally becoming procureur du roi at...
, 1852–57 - Paul de Royer, 1857–59
- Claude DelangleClaude DelangleClaude Delangle is a French classical saxophonist. He teaches saxophone at the National Superior Conservatory of Music of Paris since 1988. He played in the famous "Quatuor Adolphe Sax Paris" with Jacques Baguet, Bruno Totaro an Jean-Paul Fouchécourt. Very implicated during the 80's in developing...
, 1859–63 - Pierre Jules Baroche, 1863–69
- Jean-Baptiste Duvergier, 1869–70
- Émile OllivierÉmile OllivierOlivier Émile Ollivier was a French statesman. Although a republican, he served as a cabinet minister under Emperor Napoleon III and led the process of turning his regime into a "liberal Empire".-Early life and career:Émile Ollivier was born in Marseille...
, January–August 1870 - Michel Grandperret, August–September, 1870
Third Republic
- Adolphe CrémieuxAdolphe CrémieuxAdolphe Crémieux was a French-Jewish lawyer and statesman, and a staunch defender of the human rights of the Jews of France. - Biography :...
, 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 BrissonHenri BrissonEugène Henri Brisson was a French statesman, Prime Minister of France for a period in 1885-1886 and again in 1898.-Biography:He was born at Bourges , and followed his father’s profession of advocate. Having made his mark in opposition during the last days of the empire, he was appointed...
, 1885–1886 - Charles Demôle, January–December, 1886
- Ferdinand SarrienFerdinand SarrienJean Marie Ferdinand Sarrien was a French politician of the Third Republic. He was born in Bourbon-Lancy, Saône-et-Loire and died in Paris. He headed a cabinet supported by the Bloc des gauches parliamentary majority....
, 1886–87 - Charles Mazeau, May–November, 1887
- Armand FallièresArmand FallièresClément Armand Fallières was a French politician, president of the French republic from 1906 to 1913.He was born at Mézin in the département of Lot-et-Garonne, France, where his father was clerk of the peace...
, 1887–88 - Jean-Baptiste Ferrouillat, 1888–89
- Jean François Edmond Guyot Dessaigne, February, 1889
- François Thévenet, 1889–90
- Armand FallièresArmand FallièresClément Armand Fallières was a French politician, president of the French republic from 1906 to 1913.He was born at Mézin in the département of Lot-et-Garonne, France, where his father was clerk of the peace...
, 1890–92 - Louis Ricard, February–December, 1892
- Léon BourgeoisLéon Bourgeois-Biography:He was born in Paris, and was trained in law. After holding a subordinate office in the department of public works, he became successively prefect of the Tarn and the Haute-Garonne , and then returned to Paris to enter the ministry of the interior...
, 1892–93 - Jules DevelleJules DevelleJules Develle was a French politician. He vwas Minister of Justice and Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1893....
, March, 1893 - Léon BourgeoisLéon Bourgeois-Biography:He was born in Paris, and was trained in law. After holding a subordinate office in the department of public works, he became successively prefect of the Tarn and the Haute-Garonne , and then returned to Paris to enter the ministry of the interior...
, March–April, 1893 - Eugène Guérin, April–December, 1893
- Antonin DubostAntonin DubostAntonin Dubost was a French journalist, State Councillor and Senator. He served as President of the French Senate from 1906 to 1920. He was a member of the Democratic Republican Alliance....
, 1893–94 - Eugène Guérin, 1894–95
- Ludovic TrarieuxLudovic TrarieuxLudovic Trarieux was a French Republican statesman, prominent Dreyfusard, and pioneer of international human rights.-Early life:...
, January–November, 1895 - Louis Ricard, 1895–96
- Jean-Baptiste Darlan, 1896–97
- Victor Milliard, 1897–98
- Ferdinand SarrienFerdinand SarrienJean Marie Ferdinand Sarrien was a French politician of the Third Republic. He was born in Bourbon-Lancy, Saône-et-Loire and died in Paris. He headed a cabinet supported by the Bloc des gauches parliamentary majority....
, June–November, 1898 - Georges Lebret, 1898–99
- Ernest MonisErnest MonisAntoine Emmanuel Ernest Monis was a French politician of the Third Republic, deputy of Gironde from 1885 to 1889 and then senator of the same department from 1891 to 1920...
, 1899–1902 - Ernest Vallé, 1902–05
- Joseph ChaumiéJoseph ChaumiéJoseph Chaumié was a French politician, Senator for Lot-et-Garonne from 1897 until his death.Joseph Chaumié was born in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, into a family of modest means...
, 1905–06 - Ferdinand SarrienFerdinand SarrienJean Marie Ferdinand Sarrien was a French politician of the Third Republic. He was born in Bourbon-Lancy, Saône-et-Loire and died in Paris. He headed a cabinet supported by the Bloc des gauches parliamentary majority....
, March–October, 1906 - Jean François Edmond Guyot Dessaigne, 1906–07
- Aristide BriandAristide BriandAristide Briand was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic and received the 1926 Nobel Peace Prize.- Early life :...
, 1908–09 - Louis BarthouLouis BarthouJean Louis Barthou was a French politician of the Third Republic.-Early years:He was born in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and served as Deputy from that constituency. He was an authority on trade union history and law. Barthou was Prime Minister in 1913, and held ministerial office...
, 1909–10 - Théodore Girard, 1910–11
- Antoine Perrier, March–June, 1911
- Jean CruppiJean CruppiJean Cruppi was a French politician of the Third Republic....
, 1911–12 - Aristide BriandAristide BriandAristide Briand was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic and received the 1926 Nobel Peace Prize.- Early life :...
, 1912–13 - Louis BarthouLouis BarthouJean Louis Barthou was a French politician of the Third Republic.-Early years:He was born in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and served as Deputy from that constituency. He was an authority on trade union history and law. Barthou was Prime Minister in 1913, and held ministerial office...
, January–March, 1913 - Antony Ratier, March–December, 1913
- Jean Bienvenu-Martin, 1913=14
- Alexandre RibotAlexandre RibotAlexandre-Félix-Joseph Ribot was a French politician, four times Prime Minister.-Biography:He was born in Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais.After a brilliant academic career at the University of Paris, where he was lauréat of the faculty of law, he rapidly made his mark at the bar...
, June, 1914 - Jean Bienvenu-Martin, June–August, 1914
- Aristide BriandAristide BriandAristide Briand was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic and received the 1926 Nobel Peace Prize.- Early life :...
, 1914–15 - René VivianiRené VivianiJean Raphaël Adrien René Viviani was a French politician of the Third Republic, who served as Prime Minister for the first year of World War I. He was born in Sidi Bel Abbès, in French Algeria. In France he sought to protect the rights of socialists and trade union workers.-Biography:His...
, 1915–17 - Raoul PéretRaoul PéretRaoul Adolphe Péret was a French lawyer and politician.-Biography:Raoul Péret was born in Châtellerault , son of a magistrate. He followed his father into the law, becoming an advocate at the Court of Cassation in Paris. In 1893 he served as an aide to Justice Minister Eugène Guérin...
, September–November, 1917 - Louis Nail, 1917–20
- Gustave L'Hopiteau, 1920–21
- Laurent BonnevayLaurent BonnevayLaurent Bonnevay was a radical centrist French politician during the Third and Fourth Republics, first member of the Republican Federation and then of the Independent Radicals center-right group....
, 1921–22 - Louis BarthouLouis BarthouJean Louis Barthou was a French politician of the Third Republic.-Early years:He was born in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and served as Deputy from that constituency. He was an authority on trade union history and law. Barthou was Prime Minister in 1913, and held ministerial office...
, January–October, 1922 - Maurice Colrat, 1922–24
- Edmond Lefebvre du PreyEdmond Lefebvre du PreyEdmond Lefebvre du Prey was a French politician of the Third Republic....
, March–June, 1924 - Antony Ratier, June, 1924
- René RenoultRené RenoultRené Renoult was a French Minister and lawyer.Renoult is the son of Étienne and Élisa Geranger, a female day laborer. He studied at the Faculty of Law in Paris and obtained his doctorate in 1888...
, 1924–25 - Théodore SteegThéodore SteegThéodore Steeg was a French politician of the Third Republic, deputy of the Seine from 1906 to 1914 and senator of the same department from 1914 to 1940....
, April–October, 1925 - Anatole de MonzieAnatole de MonzieAnatole de Monzie was a French administrator, encyclopaedist , political figure and scholar. His father was a tax collector in Bazas, Gironde where Anatole - a name he disliked from an early age - was born in 1876...
, October, 1925 - Camille ChautempsCamille ChautempsCamille Chautemps was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic, three times President of the Council .-Career:Described as "intellectually bereft", Chautemps nevertheless entered politics and became Mayor of Tours in 1912, and a Radical deputy in 1919...
, October–November, 1925 - René RenoultRené RenoultRené Renoult was a French Minister and lawyer.Renoult is the son of Étienne and Élisa Geranger, a female day laborer. He studied at the Faculty of Law in Paris and obtained his doctorate in 1888...
, 1925–26 - Pierre LavalPierre LavalPierre Laval was a French politician. He was four times President of the council of ministers of the Third Republic, twice consecutively. Following France's Armistice with Germany in 1940, he served twice in the Vichy Regime as head of government, signing orders permitting the deportation of...
, March–July 1926 - Maurice Colrat, July, 1926
- Louis BarthouLouis BarthouJean Louis Barthou was a French politician of the Third Republic.-Early years:He was born in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and served as Deputy from that constituency. He was an authority on trade union history and law. Barthou was Prime Minister in 1913, and held ministerial office...
, 1926–29 - Lucien Hubert, 1929–30
- Théodore SteegThéodore SteegThéodore Steeg was a French politician of the Third Republic, deputy of the Seine from 1906 to 1914 and senator of the same department from 1914 to 1940....
, February–March, 1930 - Raoul PéretRaoul PéretRaoul Adolphe Péret was a French lawyer and politician.-Biography:Raoul Péret was born in Châtellerault , son of a magistrate. He followed his father into the law, becoming an advocate at the Court of Cassation in Paris. In 1893 he served as an aide to Justice Minister Eugène Guérin...
, March–November 1930 - Henry Chéron, 1931-31
- Léon BérardLéon BérardLéon Bérard was a French politician and lawyer.He was Minister of Public Instruction in 1919 and from 1921 to 1924, and Minister of Justice from 1931 to 1932 and was elected to the Académie française in 1934.Bérard was the Ambassador from Vichy France to the Holy See from 1940 to 1945.-Léon Bérard...
, 1931–32 - Paul ReynaudPaul ReynaudPaul Reynaud was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany. He was the penultimate Prime Minister of the Third Republic and vice-president of the Democratic Republican Alliance center-right...
, February–June, 1932 - René RenoultRené RenoultRené Renoult was a French Minister and lawyer.Renoult is the son of Étienne and Élisa Geranger, a female day laborer. He studied at the Faculty of Law in Paris and obtained his doctorate in 1888...
, June–December 1932 - Abel GardeyAbel GardeyAbel Gardey was a French politician. In 1933, he has been the French Minister of Budget....
, 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 LémeryHenry LemeryHenri Lemery was a politician from Martinique who served in the French National Assembly from 1914-1919 and the French Senate from 1920-1941.Lemery also served as Minister of Justice of France from October-November 1934 .-References:**...
, October–November, 1934 - Georges Pernot, 1934–35
- Léon BérardLéon BérardLéon Bérard was a French politician and lawyer.He was Minister of Public Instruction in 1919 and from 1921 to 1924, and Minister of Justice from 1931 to 1932 and was elected to the Académie française in 1934.Bérard was the Ambassador from Vichy France to the Holy See from 1940 to 1945.-Léon Bérard...
, 1935–36 - Marc Rucart, 1936–37
- Vincent AuriolVincent AuriolVincent Jules Auriol was a French politician who served as the first President of the Fourth Republic from 1947 to 1954. He also served as interim President of the Provisional Government from November to December 1946, making him one of only three people who were heads of state of the French...
, 1937–38 - César CampinchiCésar CampinchiCésar Campinchi was a lawyer and French statesman in the beginning of the 20th century....
, January–March 1938 - Marc Rucart, March–April, 1938
- Paul ReynaudPaul ReynaudPaul Reynaud was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany. He was the penultimate Prime Minister of the Third Republic and vice-president of the Democratic Republican Alliance center-right...
, April–November 1938 - Paul MarchandeauPaul MarchandeauPaul Marchandeau was a French politician. He was awarded the Croix de guerre and the Légion d'honneur, for his actions during World War I. From 1925 until 1942, he was the mayor of Reims...
, 1938–39 - Georges BonnetGeorges BonnetNot to be confused with the French Socialist Georges MonnetGeorges-Étienne Bonnet was a French politician and leading figure in the Radical-Socialist Party.- Early career :...
, 1939–40 - Albert Sérol, March–June 1940
- Charles Frémicourt, June–July 1940
Vichy France
- Raphaël AlibertRaphaël AlibertRaphaël Alibert was a French politician.-Politics:Raphael Alibert was an ardent Roman Catholic convert and someone with strong royalist ideas. One of the most intense followers of Charles Maurras, Alibert was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for the Action Française party...
, 1940–41 - Joseph BarthélémyJoseph BarthélemyJoseph Barthélemy was a French jurist, politician and journalist. Initially a critic of Nazi Germany, he would go on to serve as a minister in the collaborationist Vichy regime.-Early years:...
, 1941–43 - Maurice Gabolde, 1943–44
Free France
- René CassinRené CassinRené Samuel Cassin was a French jurist, law professor and judge. A soldier in World War I, he later went on to form the Union Fédérale, a leftist, pacifist Veterans organisation...
, September 1941 – June 1943 - Jules Abadie, June–September, 1943
- François de MenthonFrançois de MenthonFrançois de Menthon was a French politician and professor of law.-Early and private life:Menthon was born in Montmirey-la-Ville in Jura. He was a son of an old noble family from Menthon-Saint-Bernard. He studied law in Dijon, where he joined Action catholique de la Jeunesse française . He also...
, 1943–44
Fourth Republic
- François de MenthonFrançois de MenthonFrançois de Menthon was a French politician and professor of law.-Early and private life:Menthon was born in Montmirey-la-Ville in Jura. He was a son of an old noble family from Menthon-Saint-Bernard. He studied law in Dijon, where he joined Action catholique de la Jeunesse française . He also...
, 1944–45 - Pierre-Henri TeitgenPierre-Henri TeitgenPierre-Henri Teitgen was a French lawyer, professor and politician.Teitgen was born in Rennes, Brittany. Made prisoner of war in 1940, he played a major role in the French Resistance....
, 1945–46 - Paul RamadierPaul RamadierPaul Ramadier was a prominent French politician of the Third and Fourth Republics. Mayor of Decazeville starting in 1919, he served as the first Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic in 1947. On 10 July 1940, he voted against the granting of the full powers to Marshal Philippe Pétain, who...
, 1946–47 - André MarieAndré MarieAndré Marie was a French Radical politician who served as Prime Minister during the Fourth Republic in 1948.-Biography:...
, 1947–48 - Robert LecourtRobert LecourtRobert Lecourt was a French politician and lawyer, judge and the fourth President of the European Court of Justice.Lecourt was born in Pavilly, Seine-Maritime...
, July–September 1948 - André MarieAndré MarieAndré Marie was a French Radical politician who served as Prime Minister during the Fourth Republic in 1948.-Biography:...
, 1948–49 - Robert LecourtRobert LecourtRobert Lecourt was a French politician and lawyer, judge and the fourth President of the European Court of Justice.Lecourt was born in Pavilly, Seine-Maritime...
, February–October 1949 - René MayerRené MayerRené Mayer was a French Radical politician of the Fourth Republic who served briefly as Prime Minister during 1953. He led the Mayer Authority from 1955 to 1958.-Mayer's Ministry, 8 January – 28 June 1953:*René Mayer – President of the Council...
, 1949–51 - Edgar FaureEdgar FaureEdgar Faure was a French politician, essayist, historian, and memoirist.-Career:Faure was born in Béziers, Languedoc-Roussillon. He trained as a lawyer in Paris and became a member of the Bar at 27, the youngest lawyer in France to do so at the time...
, 1952-52 - Léon Martinaud-Deplat 1952–53
- Paul Ribeyre, 1953–54
- Émile HuguesÉmile HuguesÉmile Hugues was a French politician and government minister.With a doctorate in law and by profession a notaire, Hugues was elected in 1946 as a Radical-Socialist député for the Alpes-Maritimes département to the second constituent National Assembly, and subsequently to the Assemblée nationale,...
, June–September 1954 - Jean Michel Guérin du Bosq de Beaumont, 1954–55
- Emmanuel Temple, January–February 1955
- Robert SchumanRobert SchumanRobert Schuman was a noted Luxembourgish-born French statesman. Schuman was a Christian Democrat and an independent political thinker and activist...
, 1955–56 - François MitterrandFrançois MitterrandFrançois Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
, 1956–57 - Édouard Corniglion-MolinierEdouard Corniglion-MolinierGeneral Edouard Corniglion-Molinier aviator and member of the French Resistance, member of the French government during the French Fourth Republic, in the 1950s, movie producer , friend of Marcel Dassault and cousin of Fred Vidal....
, February–June 1957 - Robert LecourtRobert LecourtRobert Lecourt was a French politician and lawyer, judge and the fourth President of the European Court of Justice.Lecourt was born in Pavilly, Seine-Maritime...
, 1957–58
Fifth Republic
- Michel DebréMichel DebréMichel Jean-Pierre Debré was a French Gaullist politician. He is considered the "father" of the current Constitution of France, and was the first Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic...
, 1958–59 - Edmond MicheletEdmond MicheletEdmond Michelet was a French politician.On 17 June 1940, he distributed tracts calling to continue the war in all Brive-la-Gaillarde's mailboxes...
, 1959–62 - Bernard ChenotBernard ChenotBernard Chenot was a French politician and senior official.-Life:Bernard Chenot was the son of a Parisian barrister. He became a member of the Conseil d'Etat during the Third Republic, and worked in several government departments. He remained in his position under the Vichy government after 1940...
, 1961–62 - Jean FoyerJean FoyerJean Foyer was a French politician and minister. He studied law and became a law professor at the university...
, 1962–67 - Louis JoxeLouis JoxeLouis Joxe was a French statesman, judge and politician.-Career:* Ambassador of France to the USSR * Ambassador of France to the Federal Republic of Germany...
, 1968-68 - René CapitantRené CapitantRené Marie Alphonse Charles Capitant was a French lawyer and politician.He was the son of a lawyer, Henri Capitant, and attended the Lycée Henri-IV in Paris...
, 1968–69 - Jean-Marcel JeanneneyJean-Marcel JeanneneyJean-Marcel Jeanneney was a minister in various French governments in the 1950s and 60s, as well as France's first ambassador to Algeria in the immediate aftermath of the Algerian War...
, April–June, 1969 - René PlevenRené PlevenRené Pléven was a notable French politician of the Fourth Republic. A member of the Free French, he helped found the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance , a political party that was meant to be a successor to the wartime Resistance movement...
, 1969–73 - Jean TaittingerJean TaittingerJean Taittinger is a former French politician and member of the champagne producing Taittinger family.-Political career:Taittinger was Minister of Budget between January 7, 1971 and April 5, 1973...
, 1973–74 - Jean LecanuetJean LecanuetJean Adrien François Lecanuet was a French centrist politician. He was born to a family of modest means, and gravitated towards literature during his studies. He received his diploma at the age of 22, becoming the youngest agrégé in France...
, 1974–76 - Olivier GuichardOlivier GuichardOlivier Guichard was a French politician. He was born in Néac and joined the French Army in 1944 and served until the end of World War II, during which, he earned the Médaille militaire and the Croix de guerre. At the end of his life he also was a grand officer of the Légion d'honneur.In 1947, he...
, 1976–77 - Alain PeyrefitteAlain PeyrefitteAlain Peyrefitte was a French scholar and politician.He was a confidant of Charles De Gaulle and had a long career in public service, serving as a diplomat in Germany and Poland....
, 1977–81 - Maurice FaureMaurice FaureMaurice Faure at Azerat, Dordogne is a former member of the French Resistance and a former minister in several French governments....
, May–June 1981 - Robert BadinterRobert BadinterRobert Badinter is a high-profile French criminal lawyer, university professor and politician mainly known for his struggle against the death penalty, the abolition of which he successfully sponsored in Parliament in 1981...
, 1981–86 - Michel CrépeauMichel CrépeauMichel Crépeau was a French centre-left politician.Born in 1930, barrister, he joined the Radical Party. When it split in 1972, he founded the Movement of Left Radicals which chosen the alliance with the Socialist Party and the French Communist Party...
, February–March, 1986 - Albin ChalandonAlbin ChalandonAlbin Chalandon is a French politician and a former minister.Between 1968 and 1972, he was Minister of Public Works...
, 1986–88 - Pierre ArpaillangePierre ArpaillangePierre Arpaillange is a French author, senior judge and former Government Minister.-Career:After obtaining his law degree, Arpaillange began a judicial career in 1949...
, 1988–90 - Henri NalletHenri NalletHenri Nallet is a French politician. He is a member of the Socialist Party.He was twice Minister of Agriculture between 1985 and 1986, and between 1988 and 1990. He also was the Minister of Justice between 1990 and 1992.-References:...
, 1990–92 - Michel VauzelleMichel VauzelleMichel Vauzelle is the president of the regional council of Provence-Alpes-Cote-d'Azur since 1998. He is a member of the Socialist Party and was Minister of Justice in the Pierre Bérégovoy government in 1992–1993....
, 1992–93 - Pierre MéhaigneriePierre MéhaigneriePierre Méhaignerie is a French politician. He is presently deputy of the Ille-et-Vilaine's 5th constituency and mayor of Vitré...
, 1993–95 - Jacques ToubonJacques ToubonJacques Toubon is a right-wing French politician who held several major national and Parisian offices.-Political career:Governmental functionsMinister of Culture : 1993–1995....
, 1994–97 - Élisabeth GuigouÉlisabeth GuigouÉlisabeth Guigou is a French Socialist politician.-Biography:After attending ENA, France's elite graduate school of public affairs, she worked on Jacques Delors' staff in 1982 before being hired by Hubert Védrine in François Mitterrand's...
, 1997–2000 - Marylise LebranchuMarylise LebranchuMarylise Lebranchu is a member of the National Assembly of France. She represents the Finistère department, and is a member of the Socialist Party and of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche parliamentary group.-References:...
, 2000–02 - Dominique PerbenDominique PerbenDominique Perben is a French politician. Born in Lyon, he was French Minister of Transportation from 2005 to 2007. He was previously Minister of Justice , Minister of Civil Service and Administration and Minister of Overseas France .Perben has been a Deputy in the National Assembly for the fifth...
, 2002–05 - Pascal Clément, 2005–07
- Rachida DatiRachida DatiRachida Dati is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament, representing Île-de-France. Before her election, she held the cabinet post of Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice. She was a spokesperson for Nicolas Sarkozy during the French presidential election of 2007...
, 2007–09 - Michèle Alliot-MarieMichèle Alliot-MarieMichèle Jeanne Honorine Alliot-Marie, born 10 September 1946 and nicknamed MAM, is a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement . A member of all but one right-wing governments of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, she was the first woman in France to hold the portfolios of Defense , the...
, 2009–10 - Michel MercierMichel MercierMichel Mercier is a French politician and cabinet minister since 2009.After studying law and graduation from the Lyon IEP, he taught finance and local government law at the Faculty of Law of Lyon II....
, 2010–present