Justice Department Urges Agencies to Operate in English

The Justice Department has directed federal agencies to make English their default language for government operations and materials, while allowing other languages when required by law or needed to fulfill an agency’s mission. The guidance covers items including websites, applications, public announcements, internal communications and artificial intelligence tools.

The memorandum, titled Guidance on Implementing English as the Official Language, was published in the Federal Register on November 12, 2026. A Justice Department spokesperson said it is final and in effect, although the department is accepting public comments through January 11, 2027. The department issued the memo to agencies in September, according to the spokesperson’s account.

The guidance follows President Donald Trump’s March 2025 executive order designating English as the official language of the United States. That order revoked a 2000 policy aimed at expanding federal services for people with limited English proficiency, but did not require agencies to end existing multilingual services. The new guidance urges agencies to review those services and eliminate assistance that is neither legally required nor...