why is the attorney general called a general

by Prof. Jaeden Feeney 8 min read

The term was originally used to refer to any person who holds a general power of attorney to represent a principal in all matters. In the common law tradition, anyone who represents the state, especially in criminal prosecutions, is such an attorney.

What is the main job of the Attorney General?

When we say “general” in “attorney general,” “surgeon general,” and “postmater general,” it is not meant as a rank as in the military sense, and it is not even a noun. It is an adjective meaning “chief or principal.” It is the same sense as in “general manger.” The confusion comes from the adjective following the noun.

What can a general attorney do for You?

The Attorney “General” is addressed as General as a courtesy, much like cabinet secretaries are generally called “Secretary” and U.S Senators are called “Senator” long after they have left office. Hillary Clinton is still addressed as “Secretary Clinton.” Quora User , works at Rochester, NY

Does Attorney General have to be an attorney?

Mar 04, 2017 · In the phrase attorney general, attorney is the main part, and the word general is descriptive—it tells us what kind of attorney we have to deal with. It’s the same rule we follow for similar phrases such as sister-in-law and editor in chief. You make the main noun plural: I have two sisters-in-law. The Atlantic has had 14 editors in chief.

What are the powers of the Attorney General?

Jul 13, 2018 · Keith G Langer. View Profile Website. Licensing Attorney in Wrentham, MA. 4.0555555555556 stars. 18 reviews. Licensed for 27 years. AVVO RATING 10. 28731EB2-58E3-4EAD-9AF7-03A80A94D0EF. 11-year Top Contributor.

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Is the Attorney General a general?

Image of Is the Attorney General a general?
Merrick Brian Garland is an American lawyer and jurist serving as the 86th United States attorney general since March 2021. He served as a circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1997 to 2021.
Wikipedia

What is the attorney general known as?

List of All Current State Attorneys General in the United States:
OfficeNameDate assumed office
Attorney General of CaliforniaRob BontaApril 23, 2021
Attorney General of ColoradoPhil WeiserJanuary 8, 2019
Attorney General of ConnecticutWilliam TongJanuary 9, 2019
Attorney General of DelawareKathy JenningsJanuary 1, 2019
48 more rows

What is the meaning of Attorney General the meaning is?

Definition of attorney general

: the chief law officer of a nation or state who represents the government in litigation and serves as its principal legal adviser.

Is us attorney general appointed or elected?

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.Feb 16, 2022

What is the difference between chief justice and Attorney General?

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.Feb 20, 2020

Is Attorney General a constitutional post?

The attorney general is selected by the Government and acts as its advocate, and hence is not a neutral person. Nevertheless, it is a constitutional authority, and his or her opinions are subject to public scrutiny.

What is an ex president?

a former chief executive or head of state of a republic.

What is the role of the solicitor general?

The task of the Office of the Solicitor General is to supervise and conduct government litigation in the United States Supreme Court. Virtually all such litigation is channeled through the Office of the Solicitor General and is actively conducted by the Office.May 24, 2021

What do you mean by magistrate?

Definition of magistrate

: an official entrusted with administration of the laws: such as. a : a principal official exercising governmental powers over a major political unit (such as a nation) b : a local official exercising administrative and often judicial functions.

Who was the last US attorney general?

List of U.S. attorneys general
Attorney GeneralYears of service
Merrick Garland2021-Present
Loretta Lynch2015-2017
Eric Holder2009-2015
Michael B. Mukasey2007-2009
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Who is the boss of the US attorney general?

Merrick Garland
United States Attorney General
Incumbent Merrick Garland since March 11, 2021
United States Department of Justice
StyleMr. Attorney General (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Member ofCabinet National Security Council
13 more rows

How many attorney generals are there in New York?

New York Former Attorneys General
Barbara Underwood (Acting)2018
Eric Schneiderman2011 – 2018
Andrew M. Cuomo2007 – 2010
Eliot Spitzer1999 – 2006
Dennis Vacco1995 – 1998
59 more rows

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.

Is there a comma in "general"?

So it's a bit like adding a comma: Attorneys, General.

Is a major general a class?

Like a lieutenant general or a brigadier general, a major general is a class of general, so it's general that takes the plural. "The four will be commissioned as Army major generals for an approximate two-year term while serving intermittently in this role.". - Oxford Online.

Is "military funeral" a compound noun?

A regular compound noun - "military funeral," for instance - has the head at the end. So we pluralize it as "military funerals," since we're counting funerals and not militaries. More than one "company car" is "company cars," "dog trainer" becomes "dog trainers" and so on. The thing we're counting is at the end. "Army general" is another example of this.

Is "general" a compound noun?

It's a compound noun where the second word is basically an adjective that describes the preceding noun, or "head.". In this case, "general" describes "attorney.". Ah, the joy of head-first compound nouns. A regular compound noun - "military funeral," for instance - has the head at the end.

Is "major" the same as "general"?

Actually, it's Majors General. It's the same as attorneys general. Both are pluralized nouns (attorneys/majors) with adjectives (major/general).

Is "sergeant major" plural or singular?

One way to see it is that a sergeant-major is a type or grade of sergeant, whereas lieutenant-general is a type of grade of general. The main nouns are sergeant and general respectively, so they take the plural, not the classifying word. Warsaw Will Nov-11-2011. 4 votes Permalink Report Abuse.

Is "agtorney general" a noun?

However - right now 'attorney general' is a noun in and of itself. Therefore attorney generals is fine - and we don't need permission to use it - we can just use it. Of course you can use it. However the unfortunate fact is that common usage does not always mean correct usage.

What does the word "general" mean in the phrase "Attorney General"?

In the phrase attorney general , attorney is the main part, and the word general is descriptive—it tells us what kind of attorney we have to deal with.

How many attorneys generals are there in the US?

The US has one attorney general, but we have many state attorneys general.

Is "deputy attorney general" a modifier?

Although I couldn't find an answer in a style book, my gut instinct is that it would be deputy attorneys general because attorney is still the main noun and deputy is a modifier. When I can't find an answer in a style book, sometimes I search major newspaper websites to see what they use, and it looks like my instincts are right: the New York Times highly favors deputy attorneys general.

Keith G Langer

It is odd that the AG's office would be calling, unless it was in response to your contacting it first. If that were the case, it would presumably have the current information, which you provided.

David M Owens

It may be related to employment or business that you did with a company they are investigating that they either want information about, or there was a settlement and they are trying to find you as a result. The AG's office does not prosecute individuals.

What is an attorney general?

An attorney generalis an attorney with general dutiesas opposed to an attorney with some limited scope of duties. The title has the same structure as inspector general, solicitor general, postmaster general, auditor general, consul generaland surgeon general.

Is the Attorney General of the United States addressed as a general?

Note: The Attorney General of the United States is not addressed as ‘General (Name)’in written correspondence or oral conversation outside the courtroom. See the Q&A that follows – “Is an Attorney General Addressed as ‘General’?”– for more on this.

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