The Illinois Attorney General is the highest legal officer of the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. Originally an appointed office, it is now an office filled by statewide election. Based in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

and

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

, the attorney general is responsible for providing legal counsel for the various state agencies including the

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

and

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 181 ...

, and conducting all legal affairs pertaining to the state. The office of the Illinois Attorney General was established on December 3, 1818, based on guidelines adopted by a state constitutional convention. The attorney general is second (behind the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

) in the

line of succession An order of succession or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

. The first person to fulfill the duties of the office was Daniel Pope Cook who only served eleven days, and was later elected to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...

was named in his honor. The current holder of the office is

Kwame Raoul Kwame Raoul (, born September 30, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician who has been the 42nd Attorney General of Illinois since 2019. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Raoul represented the 13th district in the Illinois Senate from ...

Role

Under the

Constitution of Illinois The Constitution of the State of Illinois is the governing document of the state of Illinois. There have been four Illinois Constitutions; the fourth and current version was adopted in 1970. The current constitution is referred to as the "Consti ...

, the attorney general is the state's chief legal officer, and has the powers and duties prescribed by law. The attorney general's duties include advocating for the people of Illinois, working with the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of pres ...

to push for new legislation, and litigating to ensure that state laws are followed. The state's attorney general Act specifies several duties, including: * Represent the people of Illinois before the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

where the state or the people of the state are interested parties * Prosecute all proceedings and actions in favor of the state * Defend state officers acting in their official capacities in any actions or proceedings against them * Consult with and advise the state's attorneys * Investigate violations of all statutes that the attorney general has a duty to enforce * Advise the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and other state officers, and give written opinions on legal or constitutional matters when requested * Give written opinions to the

or any of its committees when requested * Prepare drafts of contracts in which the state is interested * Attend, present evidence to, and prosecute indictments by the statewide

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a p ...

* Ensure the proper allocation of funds appropriated to public institutions, and prosecute breaches of trust The attorney general also oversees the Public Access Counselor, which is responsible for enforcing the state's

Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Australian act * ...

and Open Meetings Act.

List of attorneys general

;Parties

Living former attorneys general

, there are four former Attorneys General of Illinois still alive, the oldest being

Roland Burris Roland Wallace Burris (born August 3, 1937) is an American politician and attorney who is a former United States Senator from the state of Illinois and a member of the Democratic Party. In 1978, Burris was the first African American elected ...

(served 1991–1995, born 1937). The most recent Attorney General of Illinois to pass away was Jim Ryan (served 1995–2003) on June 12, 2022.

References

External links

Illinois Attorney General
official website
Illinois Attorney General
articles at ''ABA Journal''

at FindLaw
Illinois Compiled Statutes
at Law.Justia.com
U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of Illinois"
at FindLaw
Illinois State Bar Association

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan profile
at National Association of Attorneys General
Press releases
at Illinois Attorney General {{authority control State law enforcement agencies of Illinois 1818 establishments in the United States

Role

List of attorneys general

Living former attorneys general

See also

References

External links