The Attorney General is the Head of the Justice Department and the attorney for the United States in all legal matters. They dispense legal advice to the president and the heads of other governmental agencies when requested. The Attorney General may support important cases that go to the Supreme Court of the United States if the case is deemed important in nature.
The Office of the Attorney General was created in 1789 and was intended to be a one-person position. The person in the position was supposed to be “learned in the law” and was tasked with conducting all suits in the Supreme Court and advising the president and cabinet in law-related matters.
The Department of Justice is responsible for most of the legal business of the government, and therefore, many of the law enforcement agencies throughout the country. There are six litigating divisions in the department:
Barr has served as Attorney General twice, once during the George H.W. Bush administration from 1991 to 1993, and currently in the Trump administration. Barr has been consistent in his determination that the Executive branch claims absolute executive authority, contrary to our system of checks and balances.
The Department of Justice touches nearly every part of legal life in America, from violent crime to tax code violations, with nearly sixty separate and distinct agencies listed on the DOJ website. Other notable agencies the DOJ is responsible for include:
The Attorney General is in charge of the Department and is responsible for all aspects of the Justice Department. The head of this vast bureaucracy has enough impact to shape the way laws are treated by law enforcement professionals across the country.
Since the Watergate scandal, almost every president has sought to preserve the Department of Justice’s independence from the executive branch. In such a scenario, a president may have his staff ask the Justice Department to fire someone inside the Justice Department, but they do not have to obey his wishes and may jeopardize their current positions by bucking the president’s wishes.
Denotes service as acting attorneys general before appointment or after resignation
1.0 1.1 1.2 Served as acting attorney general in his capacity as deputy attorney general, until his own appointment and confirmation as attorney general.
The office of the Attorney General is historical. The Attorney General is an original part of our federal government. It's modeled after the British Attorney General and was created during the first meeting of Congress, by the Judiciary Act of 1789. This Act organized the administration of the judicial branch of the nation's new government. Remember that the judicial branch includes the United States Supreme Court and all other federal courts. The Attorney General, however, is part of the executive branch along with the President and the rest of the President's Cabinet.
The United States attorney general is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government and the head of the Department of Justice. This lesson discusses the history, role and purpose of the U.S. attorney general.
Remember that the judicial branch includes the United States Supreme Court and all other federal courts. The Attorney General, however, is part of the executive branch along with the President and the rest of the President's Cabinet. The President appoints the Attorney General. This means the Attorney General is nominated by ...
The Attorney General controls and manages all litigation on behalf of the State, and may also intervene in all suits or proceedings which are of concern to the general public. The Attorney General’s legal views and opinions prevail when a conflict arises between state agencies and officers whom the Attorney General represents.
Under Montana law, the Attorney General is the state’s chief legal officer, chief law enforcement officer, and director of the Montana Department of Justice. As the State’s chief legal officer, the Attorney General is responsible for representing and defending Montana’s legal positions ...
Prosecute all public offenses involving a state agency as reported by the Montana Legislative Auditor. Mont. Code Ann. § 5-13-310.
If a citizen has a complaint about a business, fraud, phone scam, or identity theft, he or she should contact the Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection, P.O. Box 200151, Helena, MT 59620-0151, or call (406) 444-4500 or toll-free 1-800-481-6896.
Likewise, the Attorney General does not have authority over Montana judges. If a citizen has a complaint about improper or unethical conduct involving a judge, he or she should contact the Judicial Standards Commission, Court Administration Office, P.O. Box 203005, Helena, MT 59620-3005.
The Attorney General does not direct or supervise state agencies other than the Department of Justice . Complaints about state agencies should be directed to the specific agency’s director or to the office of the Governor.
As the State’s chief legal officer, the Attorney General is responsible for representing and defending Montana’s legal positions and Montana’s laws with other sovereign governments such as the federal government and other states. Montana’s Constitution provides that “ [t]he attorney general is the legal officer of the state and shall have ...