United States Attorney General
(Redirected from U.S. Attorney General)
| United States Attorney General | |
|---|---|
| File:Seal of the United States Department of Justice.svg Seal of the Department of Justice | |
| File:Flag of the United States Attorney General.svg Flag of the United States attorney general | |
| United States Department of Justice | |
| Style | Madam Attorney General (informal) The Honorable (formal) |
| Member of | Cabinet National Security Council Homeland Security Council |
| Reports to | President |
| Seat | Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building Washington, D.C. |
| Appointer | President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Constituting instrument | 28 U.S.C. § 503 |
| Formation | September 26, 1789 |
| First holder | Edmund Randolph |
| Succession | Seventh[1] |
| Deputy | Deputy Attorney General |
| Salary | Executive Schedule, Level I[2] |
| Website | www |
The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The Attorney General is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government. The Attorney General is a member of the President's Cabinet, but is the only cabinet department head who is not given the title Secretary.
List of attorneys general[change]
Parties[change]
Federalist (4) Democratic-Republican (5) Democratic (34) Whig (4) Republican (40)
Status[change]
Denotes service as acting attorneys general before appointment or after resignation
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Notes[change]
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ On October 20, 1973, Solicitor General Robert Bork became acting attorney general following the "Saturday Night Massacre", in which U.S. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus both resigned.
- ↑ Served as acting attorney general in his capacity as deputy attorney general, until the appointment of a new attorney general. Thornburgh later served as attorney general from 1988–1991.
- ↑ Served as acting attorney general in his capacity as Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ Civil Division.[4] Gerson was fourth in the line of succession at the Justice Department, but other senior DOJ officials had already resigned.[5] Janet Reno, President Clinton's nominee for attorney general, was confirmed on March 12,[6] and he resigned the same day.[6]
- ↑ Served as acting attorney general in his capacity as deputy attorney general, until the appointment of a new attorney general. Holder later served as attorney general from 2009–2015.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 On August 27, 2007, President Bush named Solicitor General Paul Clement as the future acting attorney general, to take office upon the resignation of Alberto Gonzales, effective September 17, 2007.[7] On September 17, President Bush announced that Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ Civil Division Peter Keisler would become acting attorney general, pending a permanent appointment of a presidential nominee.[8][9] According to administration officials, Clement became acting attorney general at 12:01 am September 17, 2007, and left office 24 hours later.[10] Keisler served as acting attorney general until the confirmation of Michael Mukasey on November 9, 2007.
- ↑ Served as acting attorney general in her capacity as deputy attorney general, until she was fired after saying the Department of Justice would not defend an executive order in court.[11]
- ↑ Following the resignation of Jeff Sessions as attorney general at the request of President Donald Trump, Rosenstein served as acting attorney general in his capacity as deputy attorney general for a few hours on November 7, 2018 until Trump signed an executive order naming Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general later that day.[12]
- ↑ The legality of Matthew Whitaker's appointment as acting attorney general was called into question by several constitutional scholars. Among those included Neal Katyal and George T. Conway III, who asserted it is unconstitutional, because the Attorney General is a principal officer under the Appointments Clause, and thus requires senate consent, even in an acting capacity.[13] Maryland filed an injunction against Whitaker's appointment on this basis.[14] John E. Bies at Lawfare regarded it as an unresolved question.[15] The DOJ Office of Legal Counsel released a legal opinion, asserting that the appointment was legal and consistent with past precedent.[16]
- ↑ Served as acting attorney general in his capacity as Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ National Security Division for a few hours following the resignation of Jeffrey Rosen at noon on January 20, 2021. President Joe Biden signed an executive order naming Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Human Resources and Administration Monty Wilkinson as acting attorney general later that day.[17]
References[change]
- ↑ "3 U.S. Code § 19 – Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act". Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ↑ 5 U.S.C. § 5312.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Stern, Laurence; Johnson, Haynes (May 1, 1973). "3 Top Nixon Aides, Kleindienst Out; President Accepts Full Responsibility; Richardson Will Conduct New Probe". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
- ↑ Staff reporter (February 21, 1993). "Stuart Gerson's Parting Shot". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
As supporters of the Brady gun-control bill prepare to introduce it in Congress yet again this week, they find a welcome, if unlikely, ally in Stuart Gerson, the Acting Attorney General. Because President Clinton has had so many problems finding a new Attorney General, Mr. Gerson remains in office ...
- ↑ Labaton, Stephen (January 25, 1993). "Notes on Justice; Who's in Charge? Bush Holdover Says He Is, but Two Clinton Men Differ". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ifill, Gwen (March 12, 1993). "Reno Confirmed in Top Justice Job". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
She will replace Acting Attorney General Stuart M. Gerson, a holdover appointee from the Bush Administration. Ms. Reno said he resigned today.
- ↑ Meyers, Steven Lee (August 27, 2007). "Embattled Attorney General Resigns". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2007.
- ↑ "President Bush Announces Judge Michael Mukasey as Nominee for Attorney General" Archived November 11, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, White House press release, September 17, 2007
- ↑ "Bush Text on Attorney General Nomination". NewsOK.com. The Oklahoman. The Associated Press. September 17, 2007. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2007.
- ↑ Eggen, Dan; Elizabeth Williamson (September 19, 2007). "Democrats May Tie Confirmation to Gonzales Papers". The Washington Post. pp. A10. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
- ↑ Perez, Evan; Diamond, Jeremy (January 30, 2017). "Trump fires acting AG after she declines to defend travel ban". CNN. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ↑ Blitzer, Ronn (November 7, 2018). "Attorney General Jeff Sessions is Out. Here's What Could Happen Next". Law & Crime. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ↑ Katyal, Neal K. (November 8, 2018). "Opinion | Trump's Appointment of the Acting Attorney General Is Unconstitutional". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
- ↑ "Maryland Says Matthew Whitaker Appointment As Acting Attorney General Is Unlawful". NPR.org. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
- ↑ "Matthew Whitaker's Appointment as Acting Attorney General: Three Lingering Questions". Lawfare. November 8, 2018. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
- ↑ Jarrett, Laura. "DOJ says Whitaker's appointment as acting attorney general is constitutional". CNN. Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
- ↑ "Trump's acting attorney general leaves without creating controversial special counsels". CNN.
- ↑ Gerstein, Josh (January 20, 2025). "Trump taps longtime immigration official as acting attorney general". Politico. Retrieved January 22, 2025.