how long are the terms of the attorney general of texas

by Xavier Treutel PhD 10 min read

4 years

How is the Texas Attorney General elected?

51 rows · Oregon Attorney General: no term limits Pennsylvania Attorney General: 2 consecutive ...

Is there a term limit for the Attorney General?

Ken Paxton is the 51st Attorney General of Texas. He was elected on November 4, 2014, and sworn into office on January 5, 2015. He was re-elected to a second term in 2018. As the state’s top law enforcement officer, Attorney General Paxton leads more than 4,000 employees in 38 divisions and 117 offices around Texas.

Where is the Texas Attorney General's Office located?

University of Virginia ( JD) Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr. (born December 23, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the Attorney General of Texas since January 2015. Paxton has described himself as a Tea Party conservative. Paxton was re-elected to a second term as Attorney General in 2018.

How many employees does Texas Attorney General Bill Paxton have?

Feb 07, 2022 · Ken Paxton is the 51st Attorney General of Texas. He was elected on November 4, 2014, and sworn into office on January 5, 2015. As the state’s top law enforcement officer, Attorney General Paxton leads more than 4,000 employees …

image

Are there term limits for Texas Attorney General?

Incumbent Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is not term-limited as Texas does not prescribe term limits for state-wide elected officials. He is running for reelection.

How often is the Texas Attorney General elected?

Ken Paxton is the 51st Attorney General of Texas. He was elected on November 4, 2014, and sworn into office on January 5, 2015. He was re-elected to a second term in 2018.

Who is current Attorney General of Texas?

Ken Paxton (Republican Party)Texas / Attorney generalWarren Kenneth Paxton Jr. is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the Attorney General of Texas since January 2015. Paxton has described himself as a Tea Party conservative. Paxton was re-elected to a second term as Attorney General in 2018. Wikipedia

How much does the Texas Attorney General make?

$66,880 an yearHow much does an Attorney General make in Texas? As of Apr 3, 2022, the average annual pay for an Attorney General in Texas is $66,880 an year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $32.15 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,286/week or $5,573/month.

How many attorney generals are in Texas?

OfficeholdersNo.NameTerm of service47Dan Morales1991–199948John Cornyn1999–200249Greg Abbott2002–201550Ken Paxton2015–present46 more rows

How is Attorney General elected?

The Attorney General for India is the Indian government's chief legal advisor, and is its principal Advocate before the Supreme Court of India. They are appointed by the President of India on the advice of the Union Cabinet under Article 76(1) of the Constitution and hold office during the pleasure of the President.

What is the salary of Texas Governor?

The Texas Legislature sets the Governor's salary, which remains unchanged at $153,750. The agency's Chief of Staff is selected by the Governor and this position is a classified position subject to the Plan.

How much do Assistant Attorney Generals make Texas?

Texas Attorney General Salary FAQs The salary trajectory of an Assistant Attorney General ranges between locations and employers. The salary starts at $115,882 per year and goes up to $115,882 per year for the highest level of seniority.

How much does the Texas Comptroller make?

Methodology and Market AnalysisPosition ClassificationCPA Compensation (as of 10-01-2020)1Market Average3Comptroller$153,750N/ADeputy Comptroller/Chief of Staff$258,500N/ADeputy Director I (Associate Deputy Comptroller - Tax)$236,553$190,039Deputy Director I (Associate Deputy Comptroller - Fiscal)$217,572$190,0394 more rows

How long is the term of the Texas Attorney General?

The attorney general is elected to a four-year term. In 2013, former Attorney General Greg Abbott announced he would not seek reelection and would run for governor. In November 2014, he was elected as the governor of Texas. Ken Paxton defeated former House Representative Dan Branch in the Republican primary by a 26% margin ...

Who is the 50th attorney general of Texas?

Ken Paxton defeated former House Representative Dan Branch in the Republican primary by a 26% margin and was elected easily in the general election as the 50th attorney general of Texas, (there is a historical dispute whether he is the 50th or 51st attorney general). Paxton was sworn in on January 5, 2015, in the Senate Chamber in the Texas Capitol.

What building houses the Attorney General's office?

The William P. Clements State Office Building houses the Attorney General offices. The Office of the Attorney General was first established by executive ordinance of the Republic of Texas government in 1836.

What is the role of the Attorney General?

The attorney general is charged by the state constitution to represent the state in civil litigation and approve public bond issues. There are nearly 2,000 references to the Office of the Attorney General in state laws.

What is the law enforcement division in Texas?

In addition, the Law Enforcement Division is the state of Texas liaison to Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The office is also charged with proceedings to secure child support through its Child Support Division.

When was Paxton sworn in?

Paxton was sworn in on January 5, 2015, in the Senate Chamber in the Texas Capitol. Governor Rick Perry, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, United States Senator Ted Cruz, and Lieutenant Governor-Elect Dan Patrick all participated in the swearing-in ceremony.

Does the Texas Constitution give the Attorney General powers?

The Texas Constitution gives the attorney general no general law-enforcement powers; instead it limits the attorney general's authority in criminal cases to that dictated by statute. The Texas Legislature has not given the attorney general broad law-enforcement authority, but permits the attorney general to act in criminal cases "at ...

What is the Attorney General of Texas?

14 Footnotes. The Attorney General of Texas is the chief lawyer and legal officer for the state of Texas. According to the Texas Constitution, the attorney general defends the laws and the constitution of the state of Texas, represents the state in litigation, and approves public bond issues.

What is the Texas Statutes of the Attorney General?

See statutes: Texas Statutes Title 6, Chapter 659. The attorney general, along with the rest of Texas' executive officers, is entitled by Article 4, Section 23 of the Texas Constitution to receive an annual salary, pursuant to Title 6, Section 659.011 of the Texas Statutes.

Who won the 2010 Texas election?

To view the electoral history dating back to 2002 for the office of Texas Attorney General, Click to expand the section. On November 2, 2010, Greg Abbott won re-election to the office of Texas Attorney General. He defeated Barbara Ann Radnofsky (D) and Jon Roland (L) in the general election.

Who did Greg Abbott defeat?

He defeated Barbara Ann Radnofsky (D) and Jon Roland (L) in the general election. Election results via Texas Secretary of State. On November 7, 2006, Greg Abbott won re-election to the office of Texas Attorney General. He defeated David Van Os (D) and Jon Roland (L) in the general election.

How many employees does Attorney General Paxton have?

He was re-elected to a second term in 2018. As the state’s top law enforcement officer, Attorney General Paxton leads more than 4,000 employees in 38 divisions and 117 offices around Texas.

What is Attorney General Paxton's approach to protecting the health and safety of Texasans?

Attorney General Paxton has also been aggressive in his approach to protecting the health and safety of Texans from illegal synthetic drugs. His office has filed more than a dozen lawsuits to block the sale of synthetic cannabinoids (known as Kush and Spice) in Texas.

What did Attorney General Paxton do to the Obama Clean Power Plan?

Attorney General Paxton led a successful multistate coalition against the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, which would have increased consumer prices for electricity and weakened the power grid in Texas. Most recently, a U.S. District Court agreed with his 20-state coalition lawsuit holding Obamacare unconstitutional.

How much money did the Texas Department of Revenue collect in 2020?

In fiscal year 2020, the division collected more than $4.8 billion for Texas families – an unprecedented amount in one year by any state. This success helped Texas taxpayers avoid over $1 billion in additional public assistance costs. Attorney General Paxton is focused on protecting Texans and upholding Texas laws and the Constitution.

How many lawsuits did Obama file against the government?

Fighting federal overreach, he filed 27 lawsuits against the Obama administration during a two-year stretch, of which six were heard in the U.S. Supreme Court. He's obtained an injunction or other winning ruling in more than 75 percent of the cases he's brought against the federal government.

What did stopping the EPA's water rule preserve?

Stopping the EPA's “Waters of the United States” rule preserved Texans' ability to regulate their own natural resources, including ponds, puddles and streams on private property. Businesses were protected and jobs preserved in Texas when Attorney General Paxton prevailed against the Department of Labor’s “Overtime” rule.

Where is Senator John Paulson's wife?

In 2012, he was elected to the Texas state Senate, representing Senate District 8 in Collin and Dallas counties. He met his wife Angela while they were students at Baylor. She is the state Senator for District 8 and a former teacher and guidance counselor at Legacy Christian Academy in Frisco.

What is the Persuader Rule?

Paxton is involved in a legal challenge to a rule by the Department of Labor which forces employers to report any "actions, conduct or communications" undertaken to "affect an employee's decisions regarding his or her representation or collective bargaining rights". Known as the "persuader rule", the new regulation went into effect in April 2016. Opponents of the rule say it will prevent employers from speaking on labor issues or seeking legal counsel. In June 2016, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction against the rule. Paxton called the injunction "a victory for the preservation of the sanctity of attorney-client confidentiality".

What did Paxton defend in the Texas lawsuit?

Paxton defended Texas in a federal lawsuit involving allegations that Texas's congressional districts were gerrymandered. In 2017, a three-judge panel of a U.S. federal court based in San Antonio ruled that the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature drew congressional-district to discriminate against minority voters, and ordered the redrawing of Texas's 35th and 27th congressional districts. Paxton appealed the ruling, contending that the previous maps were lawful, and vowed to "aggressively defend the maps on all fronts"; U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett criticized the appeal as a "desperate, highly questionable Paxton-Abbott maneuver" coming "after yet another ruling against the state of Texas for intentional discrimination".

What did Paxton oppose in 2020?

In 2020, Paxton opposed an expansion of absentee voting to voters who lack immunity to COVID-19. A district judge found that such voters should be granted absentee ballots under a statutory provision that accommodates disabled individuals. After the ruling, Paxton publicly contradicted the district judge, leading votings rights advocates to file a lawsuit against Paxton for misleading voters about their eligibility to cast mail-in ballots.

What states did Paxton sue?

On December 8, 2020, Paxton sued the states of Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, where certified results showed Joe Biden the victor over President Donald Trump, alleging a variety of unconstitutional actions in their presidential balloting, arguments that had already been rejected in other courts. In Texas v. Pennsylvania, Paxton asked the United States Supreme Court to invalidate the states' sixty-two electoral votes, allowing Trump to be declared the winner of a second presidential term. Because the suit was cast as a dispute between states, the Supreme Court had original jurisdiction, although it often declines to hear such suits. There is no evidence of widespread illegal voting in the election. Paxton's lawsuit included claims that had been tried unsuccessfully in other courts and shown to be false. Officials from the four states described Paxton's lawsuit as recycling false and disproven claims of irregularity. Trump and seventeen Republican state attorneys general filed motions to support the case, the merits of which were sharply criticized by legal experts and politicians. Election law expert Rick Hasen described the lawsuit as "the dumbest case I've ever seen filed on an emergency basis at the Supreme Court." Republican Senator Ben Sasse opined that the situation of Paxton initiating the lawsuit "looks like a fella begging for a pardon filed a PR stunt ", in reference to Paxton's own legal issues ( securities fraud charges and abuse of office allegations ). Paxton has called the pardon speculation "an absurdly laughable conspiracy theory" and said the lawsuit is about election integrity. The case was quickly dismissed on December 11.

What did Paxton do in Texas?

Paxton "has often criticized what he calls anti-Christian discrimination in Texas schools." In 2015, Paxton opposed an atheist group's legal action seeking a halt to the reading of religious prayers before school board meetings. In December 2016, Paxton gained attention after intervening in a dispute in Killeen, Texas, in which a middle school principal told a nurse's aide to take down a six-foot poster in the school containing a quote from Christian scripture. Paxton sided with the aide, who won in court.

What did Paxton say about the border wall?

In 2017, Paxton voiced support for the application of eminent domain to obtain right-of-way along the Rio Grande in Texas for construction of the border wall advocated by President Donald Trump as a means to curtail illegal immigration. Paxton said that private landowners must receive a fair price when property is taken for the pending construction. He said that the wall serves "a public purpose providing safety to people not only along the border, but to the entire nation. ... I want people to be treated fairly, so they shouldn't just have their land taken from them," but there must be just compensation.

What did Paxton say about Obama's deferred action?

Paxton led a coalition of twenty-six states challenging President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) executive action, which granted deferred action status to certain undocumented immigrants who had lived in the United States since 2010 and had children who were American citizens or lawful permanent residents. Paxton argued that the president should not be allowed to "unilaterally rewrite congressional laws and circumvent the people's representatives." The Supreme Court heard the case, United States v. Texas, and issued a split 4-4 ruling in the case in June 2016. Because of the split ruling, a 2015 lower-court ruling invalidating Obama's plan was left in place. In July 2017, Paxton led a group of Republican Attorneys General and Idaho Governor Butch Otter in threatening the Trump administration that they would litigate if the president did not terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy that had been put into place by president Barack Obama, although never implemented in Texas because of legal action on behalf of the state. The other Attorneys General who joined in making the threats to Trump included Steve Marshall of Alabama, Leslie Rutledge of Arkansas, Lawrence Wasden of Idaho, Derek Schmidt of Kansas, Jeff Landry of Louisiana, Doug Peterson of Nebraska, Alan Wilson of South Carolina, and Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia.

News

Attorney General Ken Paxton’s position is clear that the governor’s orders and state law apply to all Texans and protect their right to make

Liberty and Justice for Texas

We regularly identify unique threats to Texas—and we take action to defeat them.

About KEN PAXTON

Ken Paxton is the 51st Attorney General of Texas. He was elected on November 4, 2014, and sworn into office on January 5, 2015.

What is the Texas Attorney General?

What is the Attorney General Texas? The Texas Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the state of Texas. The Office of the Attorney General Texas was first established through executive ordinance of the state’s government in 1836. Under the state’s constitution, in 1845, the Texas Attorney General was appointed by the governor; however, ...

How to contact the TX Attorney General?

The Consumer Protection hotline of the TX Attorney General Office may be reached via telephone at 800-621-0508. Furthermore, the Child Support State Office may be reached via phone at 512-460-6000.

What is the Stare Decisis?

In many cases, the Attorney General Texas will employ the legal ideology of ‘Stare Decisis’ with regard to appellate hearings requested within the State of Texas; Stare Decisis facilitates a hierarchy with regard to legal venue, within which the process of appeals is determined for potential hearings

When did Abbot resign?

Abbot resigned from the state Supreme Court in 2001, where he then defeated the Democratic nominee, Kirk Watson, for the position of Texas Attorney General.

How many states have an attorney general?

According to the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), state constitutions establish the Office of the Attorney General in 44 states and the selection method and term length in 42 states.

What are the qualifications for an attorney general?

The most common qualifications address minimum age, citizenship, residency, electoral status, and bar admission. Others prohibit the attorney general from holding multiple offices.

How old do you have to be to be an elector?

In the absence of a provision prescribing minimum age, we know that he or she must be at least age 18 since no state currently allows younger individuals to qualify for electoral status.

image

Overview

History

The Office of the Attorney General was first established by executive ordinance of the Republic of Texas government in 1836. The attorneys general of the Republic of Texas and the first four attorneys general under the 1845 state constitution were appointed by the governor. The office was made elective in 1850 by constitutional amendment.

Duties and responsibilities

The attorney general is charged by the state constitution to represent the state in civil litigation and approve public bond issues. There are nearly 2,000 references to the Office of the Attorney General in state laws.
The Office of the Attorney General serves as legal counsel to all boards and agencies of state government, issues legal opinions when requested by the governor, heads of state agencies an…

Political prominence

Many leading political figures in Texas history have served as attorney general, several of them using the office as a jumping-off place to other offices in the state and national government. Attorneys general James S. Hogg, Charles A. Culberson, Dan Moody, James V. Allred, Price Daniel, Mark White, and Greg Abbott were elected governor. Culberson, Daniel, and John Cornyn were later elected to the United States Senate.

Notes

1. First elected attorney general (AG) of state of Texas; previously elected AG of the Republic of Texas
2. Resigned
3. Appointed

External links

• Texas Attorney General official website
• Texas Attorney General articles at ABA Journal
• News and Commentary at FindLaw
• U.S. Supreme Court Opinions – "Cases with title containing: State of Texas" at FindLaw

Current Officeholder

  • The current officeholder is Republican Ken Paxton. He was first elected attorney general in November 2014, and took office on January 5, 2015.
See more on ballotpedia.org

Qualifications

  • According to the Texas Secretary of State, state law says that no person shall be eligible for to run for the office of attorney general unless they are: 1. at least 18 years of age 2. a citizen of the United States 3. a resident of Texas for at least 12 months
See more on ballotpedia.org

Vacancies

  • Article 4, Section 12 (a) of the Texas Constitutionstates: "All vacancies in State or district offices, except members of the Legislature, shall be filled unless otherwise provided by law by appointment of the Governor."
See more on ballotpedia.org

Elections

  • Article 4, Section 2 of the Texas Constitution states: "All the above officers of the Executive Department (except Secretary of State) shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State at the time and places of election for members of the Legislature." The attorney general is elected to serve for a four-year term. There is no term limitfor this...
See more on ballotpedia.org

Divisions

  • As of January 11, 2021, divisions within the Attorney General's Office included: 1. General Counsel 2. Opinion Committee 3. Solicitor General 4. Open Records 5. Civil Litigation 6. Child Support 7. Criminal Justice 8. Law Enforcement 9. Crime Victim Services and Victims Assistance Grants 10. Colonias 11. Administrative Functions
See more on ballotpedia.org

Historical Officeholders

  • Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Attorney General of Texas has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any a…
See more on ballotpedia.org

Recent News

  • The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Texas Attorney General.These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See more on ballotpedia.org