United States Attorney General

The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the U.S. federal government. The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the United States on all legal matters. 

The attorney general is also a member of the Cabinet of the United States and a member of the United States National Security Council. The attorney general is seventh in the presidential line of succession. The attorney general is the only cabinet member who is not given the title Secretary.

 Name 
The title Attorney General is an example of a noun (attorney) followed by a postpositive adjective (general). "General" is a description of the type of attorney, not a title or rank in itself (as it would be in the military). Even though the attorney general (and the similarly titled solicitor general) is occasionally referred to as "General" or "General [last name]" by senior government officials, this is considered incorrect in standard American English usage. For the same reason, the correct American English plural form is "attorneys general" rather than "attorney generals".

History

Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 which, among other things, established the Office of the Attorney General. The original duties of this officer were "to prosecute and conduct all suits in the Supreme Court in which the United States shall be concerned, and to give his advice and opinion upon questions of law when required by the president of the United States, or when requested by the heads of any of the departments".Judiciary Act of 1789, section 35. Some of these duties have since been transferred to the United States solicitor general and the White House counsel.

The Department of Justice was established in 1870 to support the attorneys general in the discharge of their responsibilities.

The secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury, the secretary of defense, and the attorney general are regarded as the four most important Cabinet officials in the United States because of the size and importance of their respective departments.Cabinets and Counselors: The President and the Executive Branch (1997). Congressional Quarterly. p. 87.

 Duties and responsibilities 
The attorney general's duties and responsibilities as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government include overseeing the United States Department of Justice, enforcing federal laws, and providing both formal and informal legal advice and opinions to the president of the United States, the cabinet, and the heads of executive departments and agencies. The attorney general represents the federal government in legal matters and supervises the administration and operation of the Department of Justice, which includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Attorneys, and the United States Marshals Service.

Additionally, the attorney general advises the president of the United States on appointments to federal judicial positions and Department of Justice roles, including U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals. While the attorney general may represent the United States in the Supreme Court and other courts, this is typically handled by the solicitor general. The attorney general also performs or supervises other duties as required by statute or executive order.

Presidential transition
It is the practice for the attorney general, along with the other Cabinet secretaries and high-level political appointees of the president, to tender a resignation with effect at noon on the Inauguration Day (January 20) of a new president. The deputy attorney general is also expected to tender a resignation, but is commonly requested to stay on and act as the attorney general, pursuant to , pending the confirmation by the Senate of the new attorney general.

For example, upon the inauguration of President Donald Trump at noon on January 20, 2017, then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch left her position, so then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, who had also tendered her resignation, was asked to stay on to serve as the acting attorney general, pursuant to , until the confirmation of the new attorney general Jeff Sessions, who had been nominated for the office in November 2016 by then-President-elect Donald Trump.

List of attorneys general

Parties
 (4)
 (5)
 (34)
 (4)
 (40)

Status

No.PortraitNameState of residenceTook officeLeft officePresident(s)75pxVirginia(1789–1797)75pxPennsylvania75pxVirginia(1797–1801)75pxMassachusetts(1801–1809)75pxKentucky75pxDelaware(1809–1817)75pxMaryland75pxPennsylvania96x96pxVirginia(1817–1825)(1825–1829)75pxGeorgia(1829–1837)75pxMaryland75pxNew York(1837–1841)75pxTennessee75pxPennsylvania1575pxKentucky(1841)(1841–1845)75pxSouth Carolina1775pxMaryland75pxVirginia(1845–1849)75pxMaine75pxConnecticut2175pxMaryland(1849–1850)2275pxKentucky(1850–1853)75pxMassachusetts(1853–1857)75pxPennsylvania(1857–1861)75pxPennsylvania75pxMissouri(1861–1865)75pxKentucky(1865–1869)75pxOhio75pxNew York75pxMassachusetts(1869–1877)75pxGeorgia75pxOregon75pxNew York75pxOhio75pxMassachusetts(1877–1881)75pxPennsylvania(1881)(1881–1885)75pxPennsylvania75pxArkansas(1885–1889)75pxIndiana(1889–1893)75pxMassachusetts(1893–1897)75pxOhio75pxCalifornia(1897–1901)75pxNew Jersey75pxPennsylvania(1901–1909)75pxMassachusetts75pxMaryland75pxNew York(1909–1913)75pxTennessee(1913–1921)75pxTexas75pxPennsylvania75pxOhio(1921–1923)(1923–1929)75pxNew York75pxVermont75pxMinnesota(1929–1933)75pxConnecticut(1933–1945)75pxMichigan75pxNew York75pxPennsylvania(1945–1953)75pxTexas75pxRhode Island75pxPennsylvania75pxNew York(1953–1961)75pxNew York75pxMassachusetts(1961–1963)(1963–1969)75pxNew Jersey75pxTexas75pxNew York(1969–1974)75pxArizona75pxMassachusetts75pxIndiana75pxWashington, D.C.75pxOhio(1974–1977)75pxIllinois 75pxNew York(1977–1981)75pxPennsylvania75pxGeorgia75pxMaryland75pxCalifornia(1981–1989)75pxCalifornia75pxCalifornia75pxPennsylvania(1989–1993)75pxVirginia75pxVermont(1993–2001) Maryland75pxFlorida75pxWashington, D.C.(2001–2009)75pxMissouri75pxTexas75pxVirginia75pxMaryland75pxNew York75pxIllinois(2009–2017)75pxWashington, D.C.75pxNew York75pxGeorgia(2017–2021)75pxWashington, D.C.75pxVirginia75pxAlabama75pxMaryland75pxIowa75pxVirginia75pxVirginia75pxVirginia(2021–2025)75pxWashington, D.C.75pxMaryland75pxWashington, D.C.(2025–present)75pxArizona Washington, D.C.February 5, 202575pxFloridaFebruary 5, 2025Incumbent

 Living former attorney generals 
As of , there are ten living former attorney generals, the oldest being Edwin Meese (served 1985-1988). The most recent death of a former secretary of state was that of Dick Thornburgh (served twice, first acting in Jan. 1977 then second from 1988-1991) on December 31, 2020. The living former attorney generals, in order of service, are:

Line of succession
 establishes the first two positions in the line of succession, while allowing the attorney general to designate other high-ranking officers of the Department of Justice as subsequent successors. Furthermore, the most recent Executive Order pertaining to the line of succession, Executive Order 14136 titled “Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice” that was signed by President Joe Biden on January 3, 2025 and published in the Federal Register on January 13, 2025, but was revoked by President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025 and has yet to be replaced with another executive order pertaining to the line of succession, defines subsequent positions. The most recent line of succession was:

 United States Deputy Attorney General
 United States Associate Attorney General
 Other officers potentially designated by the attorney general (in no particular order):
 Solicitor General of the United States
 Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division
 Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division
 Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division
 Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division
 Assistant Attorney General, National Security Division
 Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division
 Assistant Attorney General, Tax Division
 Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs
 Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel
 Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy
 Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legislative Affairs
 United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
 United States Attorney for the District of Arizona
 United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois
 United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii

Notes

References


Category:1789 establishments in the United States