The attorney general is supported by the Office of the Attorney General, which includes executive staff and several deputies. Merrick Garland has been the United States attorney general since March 11, 2021. Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 which, among other things, established the Office of the Attorney General.
The House Judiciary Committee is looking into whether Attorney General Eric Holder lied under oath during his testimony earlier this month on the Justice Department's seizing of journalists'...
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland was sworn in as the 86 th Attorney General of the United States on March 11, 2021. As the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Garland leads the Justice Department’s 115,000 employees, who work across the United States and in more than 50 countries worldwide.
There are currently 93 United States Attorneys: one for each of the 94 federal judicial districts, except for Guam and the Northern Marianas, where a single U.S. Attorney serves both districts. In addition to their main offices, many U.S. Attorneys maintain smaller satellite offices throughout their districts.
Holder, Jr. is the current and 82nd United States Attorney General, serving under President Barack H. Obama. He is the first African-American United States Attorney General in history.
four-yearUnder the state Constitution, the Attorney General is elected to a four-year term in the same statewide election as the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Controller, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Insurance Commissioner.
List of U.S. attorneys generalAttorney GeneralYears of serviceMerrick Garland2021-PresentEric Holder2009-2015Michael B. Mukasey2007-2009Alberto R. Gonzales2005-200782 more rows
California Former Attorneys GeneralMatthew Rodriguez2021 – 2021Kamala D. Harris2010 – 2017Edmund G. Brown, Jr.2007 – 2011Bill Lockyer1999 – 2007Daniel E. Lungren1991 – 199929 more rows
United States Attorney GeneralIncumbent Merrick Garland since March 11, 2021United States Department of JusticeStyleMr. Attorney General (informal) The Honorable (formal)Member ofCabinet National Security Council13 more rows
The Rt Hon Suella Braverman QC MP Suella Braverman was appointed Attorney General on 13 February 2020. She was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union from January to November 2018.
John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and former politician who served as the 79th U.S. Attorney General in the George W. Bush Administration, Senator from Missouri, and Governor of Missouri.
On March 12, 1993, Ms. Reno became the first woman and 78th attorney general. She went on to become the longest serving attorney general in the 20th century. Ms.
In layman terms, Chief Justice is a Judge and Attorney General is a Lawyer, both have distinct roles to play. The Attorney General of India is the highest law officer of the country and he/she is the chief legal advisor to the GoI. He is responsible to assist the government in all its legal matters.
The Honourable David Lametti was first elected in 2015 as the Member of Parliament for LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. He has served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada since 2019. A proud resident of Montréal for over 30 years, Minister Lametti was born and raised in Port Colborne, Ontario.
Letitia James (Democratic Party)New York / Attorney generalLetitia Ann "Tish" James is an American lawyer, activist, and politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party and the current Attorney General of New York, having won the 2018 election to succeed appointed Attorney General Barbara Underwood. Wikipedia
Edmund Jennings RandolphThe Judiciary Act of 1789 established the Office of the Attorney General. On September 26, 1789, Edmund Jennings Randolph was appointed the first Attorney General of the United States by President George Washington.
Levi served as attorney general (President Bush) from Jan. 14, 1975 to Jan. 20, 1977. He was born in Chicago, IL (May 9, 1942) and attended the University of Chicago and Yale University. During WWII, he served in the DOJ Anti-Trust Division. Before being named AG, he was served in various leadership roles at the the Univeristy of Chicago, being named president in 1968. He was also a member of the White House Task Force on Education, 1966 to 1967. Died March 7, 2000.
Bell served as attorney general (President Carter) from Jan. 26, 1977 to Aug. 16, 1979. He was born in Americus, GA (Oct. 31, 1918) and attended Georgia Southwestern College and Mercer Univerity Law School. He was a major in the US Army in WWII. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Bell to the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Bell led the effort to pass the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in 1978. He served on President George H.W. Bush's Commission on Federal Ethics Law Reform and was counsel to President Bush during the Iran-Contra affair.
The US Attorney General (AG) is the head of the US Department of Justice and is the chief law enforcement officer of the US government. These are the Attorney Generals from 1960 to 1980.
Kleindienst served as attorney general (President Nixon) from Feb. 15, 1972 to May 25, 1973. He was born in Winslow, AZ (Aug. 5, 1923) and attended Harvard University. He served in the Army from 1943 to 1946. Kleindienst served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 1953 to 1954. He was in private practice before becoming Deputy AG in 1969. He resigned in the midst of the Watergate scandal, the same day (April 30, 1973) that John Dean was fired and H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman quit. He was convicted of a misdemeanor for perjury during his testimony in the Senate during his confirmation hearings. Died Feb. 3, 2000.
Richardson served as attorney general (President Nixon) from May 25, 1973 to Oct. 20, 1973. He was born in Boston, MA (July 20, 1920) and attended Harvard University. He served in the Army from 1942 to 1945. He was Assistant Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare for Legislation 1957 to 1959.
Jan. 20, 1969 – Feb. 15, 1972: John N. Mitchell was the 67 th attorney general of the United States. Mitchell, a Republican, was appointed by President Richard Nixon for whom he was a key adviser and a close friend. He became the director for the Committee to Re-elect the President in 1972 following his resignation as attorney general.
Jan. 23, 1981 – Feb. 25, 1985: Republican William French Smith of California was 74 th U.S. attorney general during the Ronald Reagan administration. He was considered a friend and a confidant of the president. He graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles, and Harvard Law School. He spent four years serving in the U.S. Navy before specializing in labor law as an attorney in Los Angeles. He served as Reagan's adviser and personal attorney in his years as governor of California. Once appointed attorney general by President Reagan, Smith played a key in role in the appointment of the first female Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. In addition, Smith aided the fight against illegal drugs by increasing the necessary resources available to law enforcement. He died in 1990.
During his time as attorney general he argued on the behalf of Americans who were being held hostage during the Iran hostage crisis, and argued for the right of the governments to denaturalize Nazi war criminals.
The Judiciary Act of 1789, which was passed by Congress, established the Office of the Attorney General. In the order of creation, the position of attorney general was the fourth cabinet level position created by Congress, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
He was also a Harvard Law School graduate. Kleindienst served as Attorney General John N. Mitchell's successor during the Nixon administration. He resigned during the investigation of the Watergate scandal, although he was found innocent of any involvement.
August 12, 1988 – August 15, 1991: Richard L. Thornburgh, a Republican, served as the 76 th U.S. attorney general, appointed by Ronald Reagan, and served in both the Reagan and the George H.W. Bush administration. Prior to his time as attorney general, he had been appointed U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania by President Nixon in 1969. For two terms he also served as governor of Pennsylvania, with his first election taking place in 1978 and his second in 1982. In terms of education, Thornburgh graduated from Yale University in 1954 with a B.S. in Engineering. Following that, He attended the University of Pittsburgh where he obtained an LL.B.
March 12, 1993 – Jan. 20, 2001: Janet Reno was the 78 th attorney general of the United States and the first woman in the nation's history to hold the position. Nominated by President Bill Clinton, Reno served the length of his presidency. This made her one of the longest-serving attorney generals in history.
In New York, former Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan -- a Democrat who had served in Republican administrations -- persuaded several presidents to allow U.S. attorneys to continue in office after a change of administrations.
Reagan replaced 89 of the 93 U.S. attorneys in his first two years in office. President Clinton had 89 new U.S. attorneys in his first two years, and President Bush had 88 new U.S. attorneys in his first two years.
The difference appears minor. Both McNulty and Sampson acknowledged that the Bush administration, like the Clinton administration, brought in a new slate of U.S. attorneys within a few months of taking office.
The Justice Department adds Iglesias to a list of U.S. attorneys slated for dismissal.
attorneys: Daniel Bogden of Nevada, Paul Charlton of Arizona, Margaret Chiara of Michigan, David Iglesias of New Mexico, Carol Lam of San Diego, John McKay of Seattle, and Kevin Ryan of San Francisco.
Timeline: Behind the Firing of Eight U.S. Attorneys The Bush administration announced in December that it was replacing several federal prosecutors. The Democratic-controlled Congress has had hearings into whether the dismissals were politically motivated. Political furor has ensued. Follow events so far.
In response to congressional inquiries, the Department of Justice released a series of internal communications — including e-mails with White House staff — that preceded the firings of eight U.S. attorneys.
Jan. 18, 2007: Gonzales testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee: "I would never, ever make a change in a United States attorney position for political reasons, or if it would in any way jeopardize an ongoing, serious investigation." ( Hear Gonzales' testimony.)
Sept. 23, 2005: Sampson becomes chief of staff to the attorney general
Feb. 14, 2005: Gonzales is sworn in as attorney general of the United States.
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". Some of these duties have since been transferred to the U…
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 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 pending the confirmation by the Senate of the new attorney general.
U.S.C. Title 28, §508 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, an Executive Order defines subsequent positions, the most recent from March 31, 2017, signed by President Donald Trump. The current line of succession is:
1. United States Deputy Attorney General
• Executive Order 13787 for "Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice"