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.
Barr believes that congressional subpoenas and restrictions to the President’s removal power and legislative vetoes are encroachments on the power of the Executive branch . In addition, Barr has indicated he is willing to do whatever it takes to preserve the power of the Trump presidency, even if constitutional violations occur.
When Barr served as Attorney General in the Bush (41) administration, he orchestrated the pardons for six people caught up in the Iran-Contra scandal. The ACLU has concluded of Barr’s record in both private and public life that “Barr amassed a record of advancing policies that advocated dragnet government surveillance, mass incarceration, and discriminatory profiling while pushing an aggressive theory of expansive executive power that sidelines Congress’ constitutional role in checking the president.”
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:
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.
The Office of the Associate Attorney General (OASG) was created by Attorney General Order No. 699-77 on March 10, 1977.
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;
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.
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.
The Attorney General and a team of legal officers and administrative personnel provide advice to the Government and service to the public. The Attorney General’s portfolio includes the following responsibilities:
The Attorney General therefore, although not a Minister sits in the House of Assembly and the Cabinet.
The office of the Attorney-General shall be either a public office of the office of a Minister.
By article 61 (2) of the Constitution, at any time when the Office of the Attorney General is a public office the Attorney General shall, by virtue of holding or acting in that office, be a member of the Cabinet in addition to the Ministers.
What the Attorney General's Office DOES do: Protects the public by upholding the Consumer Protection Act and enforcing laws against anti-competitive business practices. Proposes legislation to further protect families and children and provide clear, just and enforceable laws.
Conducts education campaigns consistent with the policy goals of the office, including Operation: Allied Against Meth, identity theft and senior fraud prevention. Pursues civil commitment of sexually violent predators to keep them out of your community until they are no longer a threat.
The Attorney General’s Office is not responsible for representing city, county, or other local units of government.
The Attorney General’s Office is not authorized to provide advice to private citizens on personal legal matters. While the office may answer questions of a general nature, most private issues require a detailed analysis of the law, and such services are outside the scope of the office’s authority.
This means that they cannot represent private citizens in court either to bring an action on behalf of an individual, or to defend an individual.
The principles of individual liberty, limited government, economic freedom, and personal responsibility guide the work of the Office of Attorney General.
The Attorney General Ken Paxton is the State of Texas’s chief legal officer. As provided by the Texas Constitution and statutes, the main responsibilities of the Office of Attorney General are:
Although the Attorney General is prohibited from offering legal advice or representing private individuals, he serves and protects the rights of all citizens of Texas through the activities of the various divisions of the agencies.
In some circumstances, the Attorney General has original jurisdiction to prosecute violations of the law, but in most cases, ...