The Department of Justice will not remove a press release because you ask. There is no process for that. Google will not deindex it either. If a justice.gov press release is sitting on page one of your name search, the only path that works is suppression.
Suppression means building enough high-authority content about you that Google has better options to show. The press release is one result. Google's first page has ten slots. Your job is to fill the other nine with content you control or influence.
What DOJ press releases cover
The Department of Justice publishes press releases across criminal indictments, guilty pleas, sentencing announcements, civil enforcement actions, fraud cases, drug prosecutions, antitrust enforcement, and more. The press release goes out at the most dramatic moment in the case: the arrest, the indictment, or the conviction. That is the story it tells. It is rarely updated when the story changes.
If charges were later dropped, if you accepted a plea to a much lesser charge, if the case went to trial and you were found not guilty on key counts. None of that is in the original press release. The original release describes the most adverse possible framing of your situation. That is what sits at the top of Google.
Why the DOJ will not remove it
Federal agencies operate under the principle that press releases about law enforcement actions are matters of public record. The Department of Justice's position is that it serves the public by documenting what the government does. Asking them to delete a press release is, from their perspective, asking them to hide what the government did. They will not do it.
There are narrow exceptions involving cases where the government itself acknowledges serious error, but these are rare. For the vast majority of DOJ press releases, removal is not on the table. Suppression is the path.
The suppression approach
Suppressing a DOJ press release means building enough high-authority content about you that Google has better options to show. The assets that matter most carry real authority.
A personal website. A well-built personal website optimized for your name is typically the single highest-impact move. It often ranks on the first page of Google for many names. Because it is entirely about you and optimized for your name, it signals high relevance. A personal website gives you one strong positive result immediately and can be built within weeks.
LinkedIn. LinkedIn profiles rank very consistently for personal name searches. A thin or outdated profile is a missed opportunity. A complete, well-written LinkedIn presence often claims a high position for professional names.
Press coverage. When legitimate publications write about you in a positive context, those articles rank for your name and add authority to your overall presence. We help clients earn real press placements through our press and PR services. For people who have turned their experience into something real: advocacy work, a business, professional expertise. There are usually legitimate stories to tell that journalists will cover. See our guide on how to get press coverage for the mechanics.
Professional profiles. Industry directories, professional association profiles, and platform bios on credible third-party sites all contribute to a first-page presence. Each one is an additional result Google might show instead of the press release.
The people we work with
Many of our clients dealing with DOJ press releases are people who have been through the system and come out the other side. They served their time. They completed probation. They started over. A press release from years or decades ago, describing the worst moment in their lives, should not be the defining result when someone searches their name.
We also work with executives, professionals, and business owners dealing with white-collar or civil DOJ matters. For these clients, the stakes often involve investor relationships, board positions, and professional licenses. The strategy is the same, but the specific content assets differ. Executives and founders need a presence that speaks to their professional standing and track record alongside their personal story.
Secondary coverage
One complication with DOJ press releases is that they are often picked up by news outlets, legal blogs, and other secondary sources. The press release itself is one result, but it may have spawned ten news articles about the same matter. Each of those is an additional result to address.
In some cases, news article suppression is possible through direct outreach to the publication. Some outlets will update articles, add resolution information, or de-index pages about matters that have since concluded. This is worth pursuing in parallel with your suppression campaign.
For the full picture of how government press releases fit into broader reputation strategy, see our complete guide to suppressing government press releases from Google. We also offer dedicated removals and suppression services for situations that require a coordinated approach.
If a DOJ press release is affecting your career, your relationships, or your ability to move forward, book a confidential conversation.