At a time of intensified national discourse on issues like public safety, police accountability, and protecting democracy, state attorneys general are the leaders fighting on behalf of improving justice systems. Although sometimes faced with opposition from their fellow partisans, these leaders remain committed to improving them.
Attorney generals serve as the top law enforcement officials in each state and territory, each with unique responsibilities but all possessing core functions that remain constant across jurisdictions.
The number of attorney generals in the United States
Attorneys general are elected by their state’s citizens or, in certain states, appointed by their governor. Their tenure typically lasts four years and includes wide-ranging responsibilities such as prosecuting (or not) citizens who violate local ordinances; overriding decisions made within localities; providing advice to legislators and government agencies, among other functions.
Public education officials also conduct public education, develop training courses and create policies. Their responses can often be quicker than legislators when responding to issues like public safety and economic anxiety, for instance New York Attorney General Letitia James has focused heavily on housing-related matters like racial profiling and deed theft.
The National Association of Attorneys General provides nonpartisan leadership, collaboration and expertise that enable America’s attorneys general to represent the interests of their constituents effectively. To learn more about state attorneys general listen to ACS Broken Law’s episode “What Exactly Is a State Attorney Doing” or visit their State Litigation and AG Activity Database.
The number of attorney generals in each state
Attorney generals play an essential role in upholding justice and the rule of law. Serving as chief legal officers for their states and territories, their responsibilities can include investigating federal crimes, enforcing state laws, representing their constituents in Congress hearings or federal courts, representing interests for citizens they represent as well as representing them before federal governing bodies such as courts.
Even though attorneys general are supposed to represent all aspects of society, the vast majority are white males. This disparity should be addressed, since their offices are touted as being “people’s lawyers.” A country cannot fully represent its interests if its justice system doesn’t reflect society’s diverse backgrounds in race and gender representation.
State attorneys general are elected officials that serve four-year terms. They may be directly elected, appointed by a governor or selected by another state body. State attorneys general are often known to take up pressing issues like protecting voting rights, fighting for women and LGBTQ rights or challenging government policies – often taking on controversial cases themselves.
The number of attorney generals in the District of Columbia
The office of attorney general provides legal advice and representation of public interest to government agencies operating within the District and represents their interests in court. As digital and data analytics have expanded exponentially over recent years, so too has its role become even more complex for this office.
Karl has more than three decades of leadership and legal experience. As a partner in one of the world’s premier law firms, he was involved with high-profile civil litigation matters as well as white-collar investigations. Additionally, Karl serves as director on both DXC Technology (Fortune 500 IT services business) and Safe Harbor Financial (a financial services technology provider serving regulated cannabis industries).
NAGTRI, or the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute, is a nonpartisan nonprofit that offers training, research, analysis, and support services for attorneys general (AGs) and their staffs. NAGTRI helps AGs advance their priorities and better serve constituents while the Leadership Center for AG Studies serves as an online educational resource providing research analysis commentary about issues important to state AG offices.
The number of attorney generals in the territories
An attorney general serves as the principal legal adviser and law enforcement official of his or her state or territory, appointed by its president and confirmed by its Senate. They possess similar responsibilities to those held by the United States Department of Justice.
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) provides nonpartisan information and research. It promotes collaboration among state attorneys general and their staffs and fosters bipartisan engagement on state-level issues.
Eric Holder is the first African-American attorney general. A graduate of Harvard University and former deputy attorney general, Holder worked on high-profile cases such as the Waco Siege and Unabomber’s capture – plus being an experienced trial lawyer himself! His father – an Army colonel himself – taught him the value of public service; additionally he has long championed civil rights, gay marriage rights, as well as advocating for state and local causes.