The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney general serves as the head of a state department of justice, with responsibilities similar to those of the United States Department of Justice.
The most prevalent method of selecting a state's attorney general is by popular election. 43 states have an elected attorney general.[1] Elected attorneys general serve a four-year term, except in Vermont, where the term is two years.[2]
Seven states do not popularly elect an attorney general. In Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Wyoming, the attorney general is appointed by the governor. The attorney general in Tennessee is appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court for an eight-year term. In Maine, the attorney general is elected by the state Legislature for a two-year term.
The District of Columbia and two U.S. territories, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, elect their attorneys general for a four-year term. 2014 marked the first year that the District of Columbia and the Northern Mariana Islands held an election for the office. In American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the attorney general is appointed by the governor.[3] In Puerto Rico, the attorney general is officially called the secretary of justice, but is commonly known as the Puerto Rico attorney general.[4]
Many states have passed term limits limiting the selection to 2 consecutive terms (9 states); 2 terms maximum (4 states), but 33 states still have no term limits.[5]
State attorneys general enforce both state and federal laws. Because they are sworn to uphold the United States' constitution and laws as well as the state's, they may decline to defend a state law in federal preemption case.[6]
The current party composition of the state attorneys general is:
The composition for the District of Columbia and the 5 populated territories is:
Rows of the attorney general table below are color coded indicating the political party of the office holder.
| Officeholder | State | Party | Assumed office | Term expires | Law school | Term limits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Republican | 2027 (term limits) | University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa | 2 consecutive terms | ||||
| Treg Taylor | Alaska | Republican | Appointed | Brigham Young University | no term limits | |||
| American Samoa | Nonpartisan | Appointed | University of California, Los Angeles | |||||
| Arizona | Democratic | 2027 | Arizona State University, Tempe | 2 consecutive terms | ||||
| Arkansas | Republican | 2027 | Tulane University | 2 terms maximum | ||||
| California | Democratic | 2027 | Yale University | 2 terms maximum | ||||
| Colorado | Democratic | 2027 (term limits) | New York University | 2 consecutive terms | ||||
| Connecticut | Democratic | 2027 | University of Chicago | no term limits | ||||
| Delaware | Democratic | 2027 | Villanova University | no term limits | ||||
| District of Columbia | Democratic | 2027 | Harvard University | |||||
| Florida | Republican | 2027 (term limits) | 2 consecutive terms | |||||
| Georgia | Republican | 2027 | University of Georgia | no term limits | ||||
| Guam | Republican | 2027 | ||||||
| Hawaii | Democratic | Appointed | University of Hawaii, Manoa | no term limits | ||||
| Idaho | Republican | 2027 | University of Washington, Seattle | no term limits | ||||
| Illinois | Democratic | 2027 | Illinois Institute of Technology | no term limits | ||||
| Indiana | Republican | 2025 | Indiana University, Indianapolis | no term limits | ||||
| Iowa | Republican | 2027 | University of Chicago | no term limits | ||||
| Kansas | Republican | 2027 | Yale University | no term limits | ||||
| Kentucky | 2028 | University of Kentucky | 2 consecutive terms | |||||
| Louisiana | Republican | 2028 | no term limits | |||||
| Maine | Democratic | 2025 (Elected by the Legislature) | Roger Williams University | 4 two year terms | ||||
| Maryland | Democratic | 2027 | Harvard University | no term limits | ||||
| Massachusetts | Democratic | 2027 | University of California, Los Angeles | no term limits | ||||
| Michigan | Democratic | 2027 (term limits) | Wayne State University | 2 terms max | ||||
| Minnesota | Democratic (DFL) | 2027 | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | no term limits | ||||
| Mississippi | Republican | 2028 | University of Mississippi, Oxford | no term limits | ||||
| Missouri | Republican | 2025 | University of Missouri, Columbia | no term limits | ||||
| Montana | Republican | 2025 | University of Montana | 2 terms in 16-year period | ||||
| Nebraska | Republican | 2027 | University of Chicago | no term limits | ||||
| Nevada | Democratic | 2027 (term limits) | Ohio State University, Columbus | 2 terms max | ||||
| New Hampshire | Republican | 2025 (appointed) | George Washington University | no term limits | ||||
| New Jersey | Democratic | Appointed | Stanford University | no term limits | ||||
| New Mexico | Democratic | 2027 | Stanford University | 2 consecutive terms | ||||
| New York | Democratic | 2027 | Howard University | no term limits | ||||
| North Carolina | Democratic | 2025 (running for Governor) | Harvard University | no term limits | ||||
| North Dakota | Republican | 2027 | American University | no term limits | ||||
| Northern Mariana Islands | Democratic | 2027 | Gonzaga University | |||||
| Ohio | Republican | 2027 (term limits) | Capital University | 2 consecutive terms | ||||
| Oklahoma | Republican | 2027 | Georgetown University | 2 terms max | ||||
| Oregon | Democratic | 2025 (retiring) | University of Oregon | no term limits | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Democratic | 2025 | Widener University | 2 consecutive terms | ||||
| Puerto Rico[7] | New Progressive | Appointed | University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras | |||||
| Rhode Island | Democratic | 2027 (term limits) | Boston College | 2 consecutive terms | ||||
| South Carolina | Republican | 2027 | University of South Carolina, Columbia | no term limits | ||||
| South Dakota | Republican | 2027 | University of South Dakota | 2 consecutive terms | ||||
| Tennessee | Republican | 2030 (Elected by State Supreme Court) | Harvard University | no term limits | ||||
| Texas | Republican | 2027 | University of Notre Dame | no term limits | ||||
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Nonpartisan | Appointed | Stanford University | |||||
| Utah | Republican | 2025 | University of California, Berkeley | no term limits | ||||
| Vermont | Democratic | 2025 | Boston College | no term limits | ||||
| Virginia | Republican | 2026 | College of William and Mary | no term limits | ||||
| Washington | Democratic | 2025 (running for Governor) | New York University | no term limits | ||||
| West Virginia | Republican | 2025 (running for Governor) | Rutgers University, Newark | no term limits | ||||
| Wisconsin | Democratic | 2027 | Stanford University | no term limits | ||||
| Wyoming | Republican | Appointed | University of Wyoming | no term limits |