Tennessee Attorney General

Last updated
Attorney General and Reporter of State of Tennessee
2016 Seal of the Attorney General of Tennessee.png
since September 1, 2022
Office of the Attorney General and Reporter
Seat Nashville, Tennessee
Appointer Tennessee Supreme Court
Term length 8 years
Constituting instrument Constitution of Tennessee
Article VI Section 5
Formation1831
Salary$196,968 (2021) [1]
Website Government Website

The Tennessee Attorney General (officially, Attorney General and Reporter) is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. state of Tennessee. [2] The office of the attorney general is located at the state capitol in Nashville, Tennessee. The current office holder is Jonathan Skrmetti, who was appointed in 2022 by the Tennessee Supreme Court for an eight-year term. His service officially began when he was sworn in by the current Governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee, on September 1, 2022. [3]

Contents

Appointment by judiciary

Unlike any other state, the Tennessee Attorney General is an officer of the judicial branch, not the executive branch. Article VI Section 5 of the Tennessee Constitution provides for the appointment of the Attorney General by the justices of the Supreme Court for a term of 8 years. [4] In most other states, the office of attorney general is appointed by the governor or elected by voters or the legislature.

Duties

Office of the Attorney General

The Attorney General oversees the work and operations of the Office of the Attorney General. In this capacity, he is assisted by various office heads. [5]

Chief Deputy Attorney General - Lacey E. Mase

Solicitor General - Andreé Sophia Blumstein

Chief of Staff - Brandon J. Smith

List of attorneys general

#ImageNameTenureParty
1 George Shall Yerger 1831–1839
2 Return J. Meigs III 1839
3 West Hughes Humphreys.jpg West Hughes Humphreys 1839–1851
4 William Graham Swan 1851–1854 Democratic
5 John L. T. Sneed 1854–1859
6 John W. Head 1859–1862 Democratic
Horace Maynard (scanned from Brabson 1972).jpg Horace Maynard 1864 Unconditional Union
7 Thomas M. Coldwell 1865–1870
8 Joseph-brown-heiskell.jpg Joseph Brown Heiskell 1870–1878 Democratic
9 Benjamin J. Lea 1878–1886 Democratic
10 George Wesley Pickle [6] 1886–1902
11 Charles T. Cates, Jr. 1902–1913
12 Frank M. Thompson 1913–1926
13 Charles L. Cornelius 1926
14 L. D. Smith 1926–1932
15 Roy H. Beeler [7] [8] [9] 1932–1954
16 George F. McCanless 1954–1969
17 David M. Pack 1969–1974
18 Milton P. Rice 1974
19 R.A. Ashley Jr. 1974–1976
20 Brooks McLemore 1976–1978
21 William M. Leech Jr. 1978–1984
22 W.J. Michael Cody 1984–1988
23 Charles Burson 1988–1997 Democratic
24 John Knox Walkup 1997–1999
25 Paul G. Summers 1999–2006
26 Robert E. Cooper Jr. 2006–2014 Democratic
27 Herbert Slatery 2014–2022 Republican
28 Jonathan Skrmetti 2022–present Republican

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">District attorney</span> US state prosecutor of criminal offenses

In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county or a group of counties. The exact scope of the office varies by state. Generally, the prosecutor is said to represent the people of the jurisdiction in the state's courts, typically in criminal matters, against defendants. With the exception of three states, district attorneys are elected, unlike similar roles in other common law jurisdictions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Court of California</span> Highest judicial court in the U.S. state of California

The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts. Since 1850, the court has issued many influential decisions in a variety of areas including torts, property, civil and constitutional rights, and criminal law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Supreme Court</span> Highest court in the U.S. state of North Carolina

The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices has varied. The primary function of the Supreme Court is to decide questions of law that have arisen in the lower courts and before state administrative agencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Supreme Court</span> Highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan

The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the state capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Court of Florida</span> Highest court in the U.S. state of Florida

The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one is selected at large.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Supreme Court</span> Highest court in the U.S. state of Alaska

The Alaska Supreme Court is the state supreme court for the U.S. state of Alaska. Its decisions are binding on all other Alaska state courts, and the only court its decisions may be appealed to is the Supreme Court of the United States. The Alaska Supreme Court hears appeals from lower state courts and also administers the state's judicial system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Procedures of the Supreme Court of the United States</span>

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. The procedures of the Court are governed by the U.S. Constitution, various federal statutes, and its own internal rules. Since 1869, the Court has consisted of one chief justice and eight associate justices. Justices are nominated by the president, and with the advice and consent (confirmation) of the U.S. Senate, appointed to the Court by the president. Once appointed, justices have lifetime tenure unless they resign, retire, or are removed from office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Supreme Court</span> Highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado

The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in Denver, the court was established in 1876. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices who are appointed by the Governor of Colorado from a list of candidates approved by a state judicial commission. Each justice faces a retention election two years after his or her appointment and every ten years thereafter, with mandatory retirement at age 72.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attorney General of Oklahoma</span> Attorney general for the U.S. state of Oklahoma

The attorney general of Oklahoma is the State Attorney General for the state of Oklahoma. The attorney general serves as the chief legal and law enforcement officer of the State of Oklahoma and head of the Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General. The attorney general is responsible for providing legal advice to the other departments and agencies of the executive branch, legislative branch and judicial branch of the state government. The attorney general is also responsible for the prosecution of offenses against Oklahoma law and advocate for the basic legal rights of Oklahoma residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Dakota Attorney General</span> Chief legal officer of the U.S. state of North Dakota

The North Dakota Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the North Dakota state government. The Attorney General's State office represents the state government in court cases and issues opinions of points of law upon request. Drew Wrigley was appointed to the position on February 8, 2022, to finish the term of Wayne Stenehjem, who died in office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nebraska Attorney General</span>

The Nebraska attorney general is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. state of Nebraska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Attorney General</span> Attorney general for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania attorney general is the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1980. The current attorney general is Democrat Michelle Henry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attorney General of Mississippi</span> Attorney general for the U.S. state of Mississippi

The attorney general of Mississippi is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The attorney general is a constitutional officer responsible for representing state agencies in legal matters, supplying other state officials and prosecutors with legal advice, and bringing lawsuits on behalf of the state. They serve a four-year term with no term limits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Tennessee</span>

The Government of Tennessee is organized under the provisions of the 1870 Constitution of Tennessee, first adopted in 1796. As set forth by the state constitution, administrative influence in Tennessee is divided among three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judiciary of New York</span> Judicial branch of the New York state government

The Judiciary of New York is the judicial branch of the Government of New York, comprising all the courts of the State of New York.

The Judiciary of California or the Judicial Branch of California is defined under the California Constitution as holding the judicial power of the state of California which is vested in the Supreme Court, the Courts of Appeal and the Superior Courts. The judiciary has a hierarchical structure with the California Supreme Court at the top, California Courts of Appeal as the primary appellate courts, and the California Superior Courts as the primary trial courts.

Tom Parker is an American lawyer serving as the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court since 2019. He previously served as an associate justice on the court having been elected to that position in 2004 and re-elected in 2010.

Roger A. Page is an American lawyer who served as a justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court from 2016 to 2024. He was appointed to the court by Governor Bill Haslam.

Jonathan Thomas Skrmetti is an American attorney and public official. He currently serves as the 28th Attorney General and Reporter for the state of Tennessee.

References

  1. "The Book of the States 2021". 7 January 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  2. Office of the Attorney General and Reporter. "Tennessee Attorney General" . Retrieved 2008-12-03.
  3. Office of the Attorney General and Reporter. "Jonathan Skrmetti Sworn in as Tennessee's 28th Attorney General".
  4. "Constitution of the State of Tennessee" (PDF). Tennessee General Assembly. 1870. Retrieved 8 Dec 2019.
  5. "Divisions". www.tn.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  6. "Pickle Mansion".
  7. "The Lawyer's Lawyer: Attorney General Roy H. Beeler | the Knoxville Focus".
  8. Roy H. Beeler (1950-09-26). "General Ray H. Beeler's Opinion on Segregation".
  9. "Education: We Must Go Along". Time. 9 October 1950.