what authority does attorney general have

by Domenick Simonis 10 min read

The attorney general is an executive office in all 50 states that serves as the chief legal advisor and chief law enforcement officer for the state government and is empowered to prosecute violations of state law, represent the state in legal disputes and issue legal advice to state agencies and the legislature.

What is the role of the Attorney General?

The Attorney General is authorized—. (1) to act on behalf of the United States as the authority referred to in a treaty; (2) to receive custody of offenders under a sentence of imprisonment, on parole, or on probation who are citizens or nationals of the United States transferred from foreign countries and as appropriate confine them in penal or correctional institutions, or …

Why doesn't the Attorney General have the power to enforce laws?

Mar 03, 2020 · The Attorney General represents the United States in legal matters generally and gives advice and opinions to the President and to the heads of the executive departments of the Government when so requested. In matters of exceptional gravity or importance the Attorney General appears in person before the Supreme Court.

Does the Attorney-General have any legal authority?

The attorney-general is the chief law officer of the state in much. the same way that the prosecuting attorney is the legal advisor of. the county or that the federal attorney-general is the chief law officer. *This article is part of a study of criminal prosecution undertaken by Pro-.

What kind of law does the New York attorney general use?

In recent years, the New York Attorney General has pursued civil and criminal enforcement actions under provisions of New York’s Executive Law and General Business Law, which the Attorney General’s office, and often the courts, interpret very broadly. New York’s Executive Law. Section 63(12) of New York’s Executive Law authorizes the New York Attorney General to investigate …

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What authority does the US Attorney General have?

The Attorney General of the United States – appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate – heads the DOJ with its more than 100,000 attorneys, special agents, and other staff. It represents the United States in federal criminal and civil litigation, and provides legal advice to the President and Cabinet.

What are the power of the attorney general?

The Attorney General can accept briefs but cannot appear against the Government. They cannot defend an accused in the criminal proceedings and accept the directorship of a company without the permission of the Government. The Attorney General is assisted by a Solicitor General and Additional Solicitors General.

What is the difference between Attorney General and Solicitor General?

The Solicitor General of India is subordinate to the Attorney General for India. They are the second law officer of the country, assists the Attorney General, and is assisted by Additional Solicitors General for India. Currently, the Solicitor General of India is Tushar Mehta.

What is the Article 76?

Article 76 of the constitution mentions that the Attorney General of India is the highest law officer of India. As a chief legal advisor to the government of India, he advises the union government on all legal matters.

What powers does the Attorney General have under the Martin Act?

We have previously written about the New York Attorney General’s expansive enforcement powers under New York’s Martin Act. [1] The Martin Act broadly regulates the advertisement, issuance, exchange, purchase or sale of securities, commodities and certain other investments within or from New York. It authorizes the Attorney General to conduct investigations of potential securities or commodities fraud, and to bring civil or criminal actions against alleged violators of the Act. [2] To that end, the Martin Act vests the New York Attorney General with a wide variety of enforcement powers, including the power to:

What is the Martin Act?

The Martin Act, Executive Law Section 63 (12) , and New York GBL Sections 349 and 350, along with certain additional New York statutory provisions, combine to grant the New York Attorney General broad authority to investigate and pursue civil and criminal enforcement actions related to allegedly fraudulent or deceptive and misleading practices involving securities, commodities and other financial and consumer transactions. The absence in these provisions of certain basic procedural and substantive protections, at least as interpreted by the New York Attorney General and some New York courts—and the aggressive manner in which a succession of New York Attorneys General have chosen to apply them—underscores the need for counsel representing an individual or entity served with an Attorney General investigative subpoena to consider challenging the propriety of the Attorney General’s conduct on procedural or substantive grounds. Such a response may include a motion to quash a subpoena in which procedural or substantive constitutional claims, along with other appropriate claims and objections, could be raised. Further scrutiny of the New York Attorney General’s enforcement program on these grounds by New York and federal trial and appellate courts is overdue.

What is fraudulent conduct?

Under the terms of Section 63 (12), “fraudulent conduct” includes “any device, scheme or artifice to defraud and any deception, misrepresentations, concealment, suppression, false pretense, false promise or unconscionable contractual provision.”.

What is an investigative subpoena in New York?

An investigative subpoena served by the New York Attorney General warrants the same care, and practical steps, that a subpoena in the more usual context—a civil lawsuit— requires. Thus, as with any subpoena, counsel should first ensure that the client properly implements a sufficient hold on potentially responsive electronic and hardcopy documents. At the outset, counsel should also, as with any law enforcement subpoena, contact the attorney at the New York Attorney General’s Office who issued the subpoena in an attempt to learn what they can about the investigation underlying the subpoena, and why the client received it. Counsel should also seek as necessary to clarify ambiguous requests, narrow requests that suffer from over-breadth, and seek an appropriate extension of any deadline in the subpoena for production of responsive documents.

Does the Martin Act require scienter?

Notably, the Martin Act contains no scienter requirement. Courts interpreting the statute have held that the Attorney General does not need proof of an intent to deceive or defraud to begin an investigation or, for that matter, even to initiate an enforcement action.

What is the Attorney General's Office looking into?

In addition to investigating criminal operations, the attorney general’s office looks into scams targeting seniors, violations of the state’s clean air and water laws and evaluates whether mergers break antitrust laws. On April 26, voters in both parties will have a choice for attorney general. Do the voters prefer a candidate with political ...

Who is the chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners?

Shapiro is the chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners and was appointed to be the chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency [PCCD] by Gov. Tom Wolf about a year ago.

What is the Roe v Wade ruling?

This was the 1992 landmark abortion ruling that upheld the basic tenet of Roe v. Wade that a woman has the right to an abortion. It established a new “undue burden” test, which struck down part of the Pennsylvania law which required wives to notify their husbands before getting an abortion.

Who is Joe Peters?

Republican candidate Joe Peters was a Scranton police officer, an organized crime and drug prosecutor in the attorney general's office for 15 years, a federal mafia prosecutor and oversaw a White House drug trafficking program. He most recently served as Kathleen Kane’s spokesman for about eight months in 2013 and 2014.

Who establishes regulations for immigration?

The Attorney General shall establish such regulations, prescribe such forms of bond, reports, entries, and other papers, issue such instructions, review such administrative determinations in immigration proceedings, delegate such authority, and perform such other acts as the Attorney General determines to be necessary for carrying out this section.

What is the 2009 subsec. H?

Pub. L. 111–122 struck out subsec. (h), which directed the Attorney General to establish within the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice an Office of Special Investigations and to consult with the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning the prosecution or extradition of certain aliens.

What is the role of the United States Attorney?

The United States Attorney, as the chief federal law enforcement officer in his district, is authorized to request the appropriate federal investigative agency to investigate alleged or suspected violations of federal law. The federal investigators operate under the hierarchical supervision of their bureau or agency and consequently are not ordinarily subject to direct supervision by the United States Attorney. If the United States Attorney requests an investigation and does not receive a timely preliminary report, he may wish to consider requesting the assistance of the Criminal Division. In certain matters the United States Attorney may wish to request the formation of a team of agents representing the agencies having investigative jurisdiction of the suspected violations.

Who has plenary authority?

The United States Attorney, within his/her district, has plenary authority with regard to federal criminal matters. This authority is exercised under the supervision and direction of the Attorney General and his/her delegates.

Who consults with the person having primary responsibility before conducting grand jury proceedings, seeking indictment, or filing an information

If primary prosecutorial responsibility for a matter has been assumed by the Criminal Division or higher authority, the United States Attorney shall consult with the persons having primary responsibility before conducting grand jury proceedings, seeking indictment, or filing an information.

What are the policies of the Department of Justice?

Department of Justice and Criminal Division policies impose limitations on the authority of the United States Attorney to decline prosecution, to prosecute, and to take certain actions relating to the prosecution of criminal cases. These policy limitations are discussed throughout the Justice Manual, with a centralized listing contained in 9-2.400.

What is prior express approval?

Prior express approval of the Assistant Attorney General of the National Security Division (AAG) or his designee is presumptively required for certain court actions involving the international terrorism-focused (Category 1) statutes. Prior approval is required in other (Category 2) international terrorism matters only upon AAG request. Prior approval is required for the following court actions:

What is the national enforcement policy for WMD?

§§ 175, l75b, 175c, 229, 831, 832, 2332a, and 2332h), may involve international terrorism, in which case they are already covered by the policy set forth in JM 9-2.136. Even if the matters do not involve international terrorism, however, the importance and sensitivity of these matters requires a consistent national approach as established in the following policy. The policy is coordinated by the National Security Division. The Counterterrorism Section (CTS) is the point of contact for these matters.#N#During business hours, the main CTS number is (202) 514-0849. After business hours, CTS attorneys and supervisors may be reached by calling the Justice Command Center at (202) 514-5000.

What is required before dismissing an indictment?

Criminal Division approval is required before dismissing, in whole or in part, an indictment, information, or complaint if prior approval was required before seeking an indictment or filing an information or complaint.

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