State attorney general

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Party affiliation of current United States attorneys general: .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Democratic (25) Republican (28) Independent (2) New Progressive (1) Party affiliation of current United States attorneys general.svg
Party affiliation of current United States attorneys general:
  Democratic (25)
  Republican (28)
  Independent (2)
  New Progressive (1)

The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney general serves as the head of a state department of justice, with responsibilities similar to those of the United States Department of Justice.

Contents

Selection

The most prevalent method of selecting a state's attorney general is by popular election. 43 states have an elected attorney general. [1] Elected attorneys general serve a four-year term, except in Vermont, where the term is two years. [2]

Seven states do not popularly elect an attorney general. In Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Wyoming, the attorney general is appointed by the governor. [1] The attorney general in Tennessee is appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court for an eight-year term. [1] [2] In Maine, the attorney general is elected by the state Legislature for a two-year term. [1] [2]

The District of Columbia and two U.S. territories, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, elect their attorneys general for a four-year term. 2014 marked the first year that the District of Columbia and the Northern Mariana Islands held an election for the office. In American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the attorney general is appointed by the governor. [3] In Puerto Rico, the attorney general is officially called the secretary of justice, but is commonly known as the Puerto Rico attorney general. [4]

Many states have passed term limits limiting the selection to 2 consecutive terms (9 states); 2 terms maximum (4 states), but 33 states have no term limits. [5]

Defense of the state in federal lawsuits

State attorneys general enforce both state and federal laws. Because they are sworn to uphold the United States' constitution and laws as well as the state's, they may decline to defend a state law in federal preemption case. [6]

Current attorneys general

The current party composition of the state attorneys general is:

The composition for the District of Columbia and the 5 populated territories is:

Rows of the attorney general table below are color coded indicating the political party of the office holder.

OfficeholderStatePartyAssumed officeTerm expiresLaw schoolTerm limits
Steve Marshall Alabama Republican February 10, 20172027 (term limits) University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa 2 consecutive terms
Treg Taylor Alaska Republican January 30, 2021Appointed Brigham Young University no term limits
Fainu'ulelei Alailima-Utu American Samoa NonpartisanJanuary 21, 2021Appointed University of California, Los Angeles
Kris Mayes Arizona Democratic January 2, 20232027 Arizona State University, Tempe 2 consecutive terms
Tim Griffin Arkansas Republican January 10, 20232027 Tulane University 2 terms maximum
Rob Bonta California Democratic April 23, 20212027 Yale University 2 terms maximum
Phil Weiser Colorado Democratic January 8, 20192027 (term limits) New York University 2 consecutive terms
William Tong Connecticut Democratic January 9, 20192027 University of Chicago no term limits
Kathy Jennings Delaware Democratic January 1, 20192027 Villanova University no term limits
Brian Schwalb District of Columbia Democratic January 2, 20232027 Harvard University
James Uthmeier Florida Republican February 17, 20252027 Georgetown University 2 consecutive terms
Chris Carr Georgia Republican November 1, 20162027 University of Georgia no term limits
Doug Moylan Guam Republican January 2, 20232027 Santa Clara University
Anne Lopez Hawaii Democratic December 5, 2022Appointed University of Hawaii, Manoa no term limits
Raúl Labrador Idaho Republican January 2, 20232027 University of Washington, Seattle no term limits
Kwame Raoul Illinois Democratic January 14, 20192027 Illinois Institute of Technology no term limits
Todd Rokita Indiana Republican January 11, 20212029 Indiana University, Indianapolis no term limits
Brenna Bird Iowa Republican January 3, 20232027 University of Chicago no term limits
Kris Kobach Kansas Republican January 9, 20232027 Yale University no term limits
Russell Coleman Kentucky Republican January 1, 20242028 University of Kentucky 2 consecutive terms
Liz Murrill Louisiana Republican January 8, 20242028 Louisiana State University
Pepperdine University (LLM)		no term limits
Aaron Frey Maine Democratic January 2, 20192025 (Elected by the Legislature) Roger Williams University 4 two year terms
Anthony Brown Maryland Democratic January 3, 20232027 Harvard University no term limits
Andrea Campbell Massachusetts Democratic January 18, 20232027 University of California, Los Angeles no term limits
Dana Nessel Michigan Democratic January 1, 20192027 (term limits) Wayne State University 2 terms max
Keith Ellison Minnesota Democratic (DFL) January 7, 20192027 University of Minnesota, Twin Cities no term limits
Lynn Fitch Mississippi Republican January 9, 20202028 University of Mississippi, Oxford no term limits
Andrew Bailey Missouri Republican January 3, 20232029 University of Missouri, Columbia no term limits
Austin Knudsen Montana Republican January 4, 20212029 University of Montana 2 terms in 16-year period
Mike Hilgers Nebraska Republican January 5, 20232027 University of Chicago no term limits
Aaron D. Ford Nevada Democratic January 7, 20192027 (term limits) Ohio State University, Columbus 2 terms max
John Formella New Hampshire Republican April 22, 20212025 (appointed) George Washington University no term limits
Matthew Platkin New Jersey Democratic February 14, 2022Appointed Stanford University no term limits
Raúl Torrez New Mexico Democratic January 1, 20232027 Stanford University 2 consecutive terms
Letitia James New York Democratic January 1, 20192027 Howard University no term limits
Jeff Jackson North Carolina Democratic January 1, 20252029 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill no term limits
Drew Wrigley North Dakota Republican February 9, 20222027 American University no term limits
Edward Manibusan Northern Mariana Islands Democratic January 13, 20152027 Gonzaga University
Dave Yost Ohio Republican January 14, 20192027 (term limits) Capital University 2 consecutive terms
Gentner Drummond Oklahoma Republican January 9, 20232027 Georgetown University 2 terms max
Dan Rayfield Oregon Democratic December 31, 20242029 Willamette University no term limits
Dave Sunday Pennsylvania Republican January 21, 20252029 Widener University (Delaware) 2 consecutive terms
Janet Parra Mercado
Acting		 Puerto Rico [7] New Progressive January 2, 2025Appointed
Peter Neronha Rhode Island Democratic January 1, 20192027 (term limits) Boston College 2 consecutive terms
Alan Wilson South Carolina Republican January 12, 20112027 University of South Carolina, Columbia no term limits
Marty Jackley South Dakota Republican January 3, 20232027 University of South Dakota 2 consecutive terms
Jonathan Skrmetti Tennessee Republican September 1, 20222030 (Elected by State Supreme Court) Harvard University no term limits
Ken Paxton Texas Republican January 5, 2015
Suspended: May 27, 2023 – September 16, 2023		2027 University of Notre Dame no term limits
Gordon Rhea U.S. Virgin Islands NonpartisanApril 29, 2024Appointed Stanford University
Derek Brown Utah Republican January 6, 20252029 Pepperdine University no term limits
Charity Clark Vermont Democratic January 5, 20232027 Boston College no term limits
Jason Miyares Virginia Republican January 15, 20222026 College of William and Mary no term limits
Nick Brown Washington Democratic January 15, 20252029 Harvard University no term limits
JB McCuskey West Virginia Republican January 13, 20252029 West Virginia University no term limits
Josh Kaul Wisconsin Democratic January 7, 20192027 Stanford University no term limits
Bridget Hill Wyoming Republican January 7, 2019Appointed University of Wyoming no term limits

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Moretto, Mario (January 23, 2015). "LePage sheds light on plan to strip Legislature of power to elect attorney general, treasurer". Bangor Publishing Company. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Elections for Attorney General to Take Place in 30 States". National Association of Attorneys General. National Association of Attorneys General. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  3. ↑ "2014 State and Territorial Attorneys General Election Results". National Association of Attorneys General. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  4. ↑ "AG Spotlight: New Attorneys General". National Association of Attorneys General. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Attorneys General with term limits". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  6. ↑ Phillips, Amber (May 15, 2016). "Is it legal for North Carolina's attorney general to not defend the state's bathroom law?". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  7. ↑ The title of the head of Puerto Rico's Justice Department is the Secretary of Justice, not Attorney General.
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