what is the role of us attorney general

by Rita Parisian 3 min read

The principal duties of the Attorney General are to: Represent the United States in legal matters. Supervise and direct the administration and operation of the offices, boards, divisions, and bureaus that comprise the Department.

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Who does the U.S. Attorney General answer to?

President of the United StatesUnited States Attorney GeneralReports toPresident of the United StatesSeatRobert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building Washington, D.C.AppointerPresident of the United States with United States Senate advice and consentTerm lengthNo fixed term13 more rows

Who does the U.S. Attorney General work for?

United States Attorneys are appointed by the President of the United States, with the advice and consent of the United States Senate, and serve at the direction of the Attorney General.

Who appoints the U.S. Attorney General?

The PresidentThe President shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, an Attorney General of the United States. The Attorney General is the head of the Department of Justice.

What's the difference between US attorney and Attorney General?

The president appoints U.S. attorneys, who mainly serve as administrators. Assistant U.S. attorneys handle the bulk of the trial work. The U.S. attorney general, who is the chief law enforcement officer in the United States and the head of the Department of Justice, has supervisory responsibility over U.S. attorneys.

How much does the attorney general of the United States make?

Salary Ranges for Attorney Generals The middle 57% of Attorney Generals makes between $101,019 and $254,138, with the top 86% making $560,998.

How long does the US attorney general serve?

Elected attorneys general serve a four-year term, except in Vermont, where the term is two years. Seven states do not popularly elect an attorney general. In Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Wyoming, the attorney general is a gubernatorial appointee.

What are the qualifications to be attorney general of the United States?

The most common qualifications address minimum age, citizenship, residency, electoral status, and bar admission. Others prohibit the attorney general from holding multiple offices. Some states expressly prescribe these qualifications through their constitution or statute.

What is the difference between Attorney General and Chief Justice?

Attorney General is the Chief Law Officer of the Government of India. CJI is the chief of Indian Judiciary.

What is the difference between Attorney General and Chief Justice?

Attorney General is the Chief Law Officer of the Government of India. CJI is the chief of Indian Judiciary.

Can the Attorney General be impeached?

Attorneys General. While impeachment proceedings against cabinet secretaries are an exceedingly rare event, no office has provoked the ire of the House of Representatives more than that of Attorney General. During the first quarter of the 21st century, four Attorneys General have been subjected to the process.

Who is in charge of the Justice Department?

Attorney General Merrick B. GarlandAttorney General Merrick B. Garland was sworn in as the 86th 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.

What is the job of the US attorneys quizlet?

What is a United States attorney? Attorney and government official who prosecutes cases at the federal level.

What is the role of an attorney general?

As chief legal officers of the states, commonwealths, District of Columbia, and territories of the United States, the role of an attorney general is to serve as counselor to state government agencies and legislatures, and as a representative of the public interest.

What is the role of a public advocate?

Issuing formal opinions to state agencies. Acting as public advocates in areas such as child support enforcement, consumer protections, antitrust and utility regulation. Proposing legislation. Enforcing federal and state environmental laws. Representing the state and state agencies before the state and federal courts.

What is the People's Lawyer podcast?

The People’s Lawyer is a biweekly podcast from NAAG that explores the role of state and territory attorneys general as chief legal officers and their work protecting the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution.

What is the job of the Attorney General?

The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United Stateson all legal matters. The attorney general is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States.

What was the purpose of the Attorney General's Office?

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 United States solicitor general and the White House counsel .

How much does an attorney general make in 2021?

Attorney General is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule, thus earning a salary of US$ 221,400, as of January 2021.

When does the Attorney General have to resign?

Presidential transition[edit] 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.

Who was the attorney general nominee for Clinton?

Gerson was fourth in the line of succession at the Justice Department, but other senior DOJ officials had already resigned.[14] Janet Reno, President Clinton's nominee for attorney general, was confirmed on March 12,[15]and he resigned the same day.

Who was the acting attorney general of the United States in 2017?

For example, upon the inauguration of President Donald Trump 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 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.

When was the Department of Justice established?

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

What is an assistant U.S. attorney?

Attorneys working at the direction of the United States Attorney prosecute criminal cases brought by the United States against individuals and organizations who violate criminal laws enacted by the United States Congress.

Who is the attorney for the Western District of Texas?

The Western District of Texas is one of four federal judicial districts in Texas, and one of the largest in the country. Ashley C. Hoff is the United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas and is the chief federal law enforcement officer of the United States within this district.

What is the office of the 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.

Who is the head of the Department of Justice?

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.

Is the Attorney General part of the executive branch?

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 ...

What is the role of the Attorney General?

In June 1870 Congress enacted a law entitled “An Act to Establish the Department of Justice.” This Act established the Attorney General as head of the Department of Justice and gave the Attorney General direction and control of U.S. Attorneys and all other counsel employed on behalf of the United States. The Act also vested in the Attorney General supervisory power over the accounts of U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals.

Who created the Office of the Deputy Attorney General?

Office of the Deputy Attorney General. On May 24, 1950, Attorney General J. Howard McGrath created the Office of the Deputy Attorney General (ODAG). The Deputy Attorney, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the Department's second-ranking official and functions as a Chief Operating Officer;

When was the Office of the Associate Attorney General created?

The Office of the Associate Attorney General (OASG) was created by Attorney General Order No. 699-77 on March 10, 1977.

Who provides advice and opinions on legal matters?

Furnish advice and opinions, formal and informal, on legal matters to the President and the Cabinet and to the heads of the executive departments and agencies of the government, as provided by law.

What is the ODAG?

The mission of the ODAG is to advise and assist the Attorney General in formulating and implementing Department policies and programs and in providing overall supervision and direction to all organizational units of the Department.

What is the role of the Attorney General?

Professor Dixon points out that the attorney general’s role as “a friend of the court” has been “especially significant” in civil rights matters. He has been able to join in suits brought by private parties “and strengthen their cases through the addition of federal legal resources.”

What does Professor Dixon say about the Department of Justice?

Rights—“a ‘story’ not commonly known and still developing.” He describes the Department of Justice as “both a highly personal, sensitive, policy organ, and an amorphous collectivity.” Although it is an impersonal bureaucracy in many respects, Professor Dixon finds that the attorney general’s office “reflects the personality of its occupant and sometimes the personal touch of the President” especially where civil rights policy is involved.

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How Does One Become Attorney General?

  • The position of Attorney General is an appointed one, nominated by the president and confirmed by the United States Senate. There is also a succession plan in place in the event there is no Attorney General due to absence or death, which allows the Deputy Attorney General to assume …
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What Are The Most Important Powers of The Attorney General?

  • The Attorney General will provide advice and guidance to the president and other high ranking officials regarding the law and how it should be implemented. This provides the Attorney General with a great deal of power, as they would have the ability to shape how laxly or punitively the law is to be applied. As the Justice Department has such wide-reaching tentacles of power in matter…
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Who Is The Current Attorney General?

  • William Barr is the current Attorney General of the United States. He replaced Jeff Sessions in 2019 after President Trump fired Sessions. 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 a…
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What Agencies Are Under The Department of Justice?

  • 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: 1. Antitrust 2. Civil 3. Civil Rights 4. Criminal 5. Environmental and Natural Resources 6. Tax Each division is headed up by an Assistant Attorney General, and man…
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History of The Attorney General

  • The Office of the Attorney General was createdin 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 work quickly grew, requiring the addition of multiple assistants and private attorne…
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List of Attorneys General

  1. William Barr, 2019 – Present
  2. Jeff Sessions, 2017 – 2018
  3. Loretta Lynch, 2015 – 2017
  4. Eric Holder, Jr., 2009 – 2015
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The Rantt Rundown

  • The Department of Justice, created in 1789, has grown from a part-time, one-person office to become the world’s largest law office, encompassing sixty different agencies and offices. 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 tr…
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Overview

The United States attorney general (AG) leads the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all legal matters. The attorney general is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States.

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". Some of these duties have since been transferred to the U…

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 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.

Line of succession

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

See also

• Executive Order 13787 for "Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice"