# State attorney general

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.

## Selection

The most prevalent method of selecting a state's attorney general is by popular election. 43 states have an elected attorney general. Elected attorneys general serve a four-year term, except in Vermont, where the term is two years.
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. The attorney general in Tennessee is appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court for an eight-year term. In Maine, the attorney general is elected by the state Legislature for a two-year term.
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. In Puerto Rico, the attorney general is officially called the secretary of justice, but is commonly known as the Puerto Rico attorney general.
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.

## 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.

## Current attorneys general

The current party composition of the state attorneys general is:
* 22 Democrats
* 28 Republicans
The composition for the District of Columbia and the 5 populated territories is:
* 2 Democrats
* 1 Republican
* 2 Independent
* 1 New Progressive
Rows of the attorney general table below are color coded indicating the political party of the office holder.
| Officeholder | State | Party | Assumed office | Term expires | Law school | Term limits |
| Steve Marshall | Alabama | Republican | February 10, 2017 | 2027 (term limits) | University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa | 2 consecutive terms |
| Treg Taylor | Alaska | Republican | January 30, 2021 | Appointed | Brigham Young University | no term limits |
| Fainu'ulelei Alailima-Utu | American Samoa | Nonpartisan | January 21, 2021 | Appointed | University of California, Los Angeles | |
| Kris Mayes | Arizona | Democratic | January 2, 2023 | 2027 | Arizona State University, Tempe | 2 consecutive terms |
| Tim Griffin | Arkansas | Republican | January 10, 2023 | 2027 | Tulane University | 2 terms maximum |
| Rob Bonta | California | Democratic | April 23, 2021 | 2027 | Yale University | 2 terms maximum |
| Phil Weiser | Colorado | Democratic | January 8, 2019 | 2027 (term limits) | New York University | 2 consecutive terms |
| William Tong | Connecticut | Democratic | January 9, 2019 | 2027 | University of Chicago | no term limits |
| Kathy Jennings | Delaware | Democratic | January 1, 2019 | 2027 | Villanova University | no term limits |
| Brian Schwalb | District of Columbia | Democratic | January 2, 2023 | 2027 | Harvard University | |
| James Uthmeier | Florida | Republican | February 17, 2025 | 2027 | Georgetown University | 2 consecutive terms |
| Chris Carr | Georgia | Republican | November 1, 2016 | 2027 | University of Georgia | no term limits |
| Doug Moylan | Guam | Republican | January 2, 2023 | 2027 | Santa Clara University | |
| Anne Lopez | Hawaii | Democratic | December 5, 2022 | Appointed | University of Hawaii, Manoa | no term limits |
| Raúl Labrador | Idaho | Republican | January 2, 2023 | 2027 | University of Washington, Seattle | no term limits |
| Kwame Raoul | Illinois | Democratic | January 14, 2019 | 2027 | Illinois Institute of Technology | no term limits |
| Todd Rokita | Indiana | Republican | January 11, 2021 | 2029 | Indiana University, Indianapolis | no term limits |
| Brenna Bird | Iowa | Republican | January 3, 2023 | 2027 | University of Chicago | no term limits |
| Kris Kobach | Kansas | Republican | January 9, 2023 | 2027 | Yale University | no term limits |
| Russell Coleman | Kentucky | Republican | January 1, 2024 | 2028 | University of Kentucky | 2 consecutive terms |
| Liz Murrill | Louisiana | Republican | January 8, 2024 | 2028 | Louisiana State University Pepperdine University (LLM) | no term limits |
| Aaron Frey | Maine | Democratic | January 2, 2019 | 2025 (Elected by the Legislature) | Roger Williams University | 4 two year terms |
| Anthony Brown | Maryland | Democratic | January 3, 2023 | 2027 | Harvard University | no term limits |
| Andrea Campbell | Massachusetts | Democratic | January 18, 2023 | 2027 | University of California, Los Angeles | no term limits |
| Dana Nessel | Michigan | Democratic | January 1, 2019 | 2027 (term limits) | Wayne State University | 2 terms max |
| Keith Ellison | Minnesota | Democratic (DFL) | January 7, 2019 | 2027 | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | no term limits |
| Lynn Fitch | Mississippi | Republican | January 9, 2020 | 2028 | University of Mississippi, Oxford | no term limits |
| Andrew Bailey | Missouri | Republican | January 3, 2023 | 2029 | University of Missouri, Columbia | no term limits |
| Austin Knudsen | Montana | Republican | January 4, 2021 | 2029 | University of Montana | 2 terms in 16-year period |
| Mike Hilgers | Nebraska | Republican | January 5, 2023 | 2027 | University of Chicago | no term limits |
| Aaron D. Ford | Nevada | Democratic | January 7, 2019 | 2027 (term limits) | Ohio State University, Columbus | 2 terms max |
| John Formella | New Hampshire | Republican | April 22, 2021 | 2025 (appointed) | George Washington University | no term limits |
| Matthew Platkin | New Jersey | Democratic | February 14, 2022 | Appointed | Stanford University | no term limits |
| Raúl Torrez | New Mexico | Democratic | January 1, 2023 | 2027 | Stanford University | 2 consecutive terms |
| Letitia James | New York | Democratic | January 1, 2019 | 2027 | Howard University | no term limits |
| Jeff Jackson | North Carolina | Democratic | January 1, 2025 | 2029 | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | no term limits |
| Drew Wrigley | North Dakota | Republican | February 9, 2022 | 2027 | American University | no term limits |
| Edward Manibusan | Northern Mariana Islands | Democratic | January 13, 2015 | 2027 | Gonzaga University | |
| Dave Yost | Ohio | Republican | January 14, 2019 | 2027 (term limits) | Capital University | 2 consecutive terms |
| Gentner Drummond | Oklahoma | Republican | January 9, 2023 | 2027 | Georgetown University | 2 terms max |
| Dan Rayfield | Oregon | Democratic | December 31, 2024 | 2029 | Willamette University | no term limits |
| Dave Sunday | Pennsylvania | Republican | January 21, 2025 | 2029 | Widener University (Delaware) | 2 consecutive terms |
| Janet Parra Mercado Acting | Puerto Rico | New Progressive | January 2, 2025 | Appointed | | |
| Peter Neronha | Rhode Island | Democratic | January 1, 2019 | 2027 (term limits) | Boston College | 2 consecutive terms |
| Alan Wilson | South Carolina | Republican | January 12, 2011 | 2027 | University of South Carolina, Columbia | no term limits |
| Marty Jackley | South Dakota | Republican | January 3, 2023 | 2027 | University of South Dakota | 2 consecutive terms |
| Jonathan Skrmetti | Tennessee | Republican | September 1, 2022 | 2030 (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 | Nonpartisan | April 29, 2024 | Appointed | Stanford University | |
| Derek Brown | Utah | Republican | January 6, 2025 | 2029 | Pepperdine University | no term limits |
| Charity Clark | Vermont | Democratic | January 5, 2023 | 2027 | Boston College | no term limits |
| Jason Miyares | Virginia | Republican | January 15, 2022 | 2026 | College of William and Mary | no term limits |
| Nick Brown | Washington | Democratic | January 15, 2025 | 2029 | Harvard University | no term limits |
| JB McCuskey | West Virginia | Republican | January 13, 2025 | 2029 | West Virginia University | no term limits |
| Josh Kaul | Wisconsin | Democratic | January 7, 2019 | 2027 | Stanford University | no term limits |
| Bridget Hill | Wyoming | Republican | January 7, 2019 | Appointed | University of Wyoming | no term limits |