The Arizona attorney general is the
chief legal officer
A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department.
In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...
of the
State of Arizona,
in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. This state officer is the head of the Arizona Department of Law, more commonly known as the Arizona Attorney General's Office. The state attorney general is a
constitutionally-established officer, elected by the people of the state to a four-year term. The state attorney general is second (behind the
Secretary of State) in the
line of succession to the office of
Governor of Arizona
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
.
Headed by the attorney general of Arizona,
the Arizona Attorney General's Office is the largest law office in the state, with approximately 400 attorneys and 1,000 employees. , the Attorney General's Office is divided into the following divisions:
* Executive Office
* Solicitor General
* Operations
* Child and Family Protection
* State Government Division
* Civil Litigation Division
* Criminal
Qualifications
The Arizona Constitution requires all of the officers in the state's executive department, including the attorney general, to be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for 10 years and an Arizona resident for five years.
Arizona law further requires the attorney general to have been a "practicing attorney before the supreme court of the state" for at least five years before taking office, however the
Arizona Supreme Court
The Arizona Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Arizona. Sitting in the Supreme Court building in downtown Phoenix, the court consists of a chief justice, a vice chief justice, and five associate justices. Each justi ...
ruled the law unconstitutional during the appointment process of
Jack LaSota in 1977; LaSota had not renewed his state bar membership and was therefore not considered a practicing attorney.
Powers and duties
While the
state constitution establishes the office of Attorney General, it does not prescribe the powers of the office. Instead, the Arizona Constitution expressly provides that the powers and duties of the state attorney general are to be prescribed by the
Arizona State Legislature
The Arizona State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Senate. Composed of 90 legislators, the ...
. In pursuance of this constitutional mandate, the Arizona Legislature has prescribed that, under
A.R.S. §41-193(A)(1) – § 41-193(A)(8), the attorney general of Arizona, through the Arizona Department of Law, shall:
# Prosecute and defend in the state supreme court all proceedings in which the state or an officer thereof is a party ~ A.R.S. § 41-193(A)(1);
# Under certain conditions, prosecute and defend any proceeding in all other courts of the state, in which the state or an officer thereof is a party or has an interest ~ A.R.S. § 41-193(A)(2);
# Represent the state in any action in a federal court ~ A.R.S. § 41-193(A)(3);
# Exercise supervisory powers over county attorneys ~ A.R.S. § 41-193(A)(4);
# Under certain conditions, assist any county attorney in the discharge of their duties ~ A.R.S. § 41-193(A)(5);
# Maintain a docket of all proceedings in which the attorney general is required to appear ~ A.R.S. §41-193(A)(6);
# Issue attorney general opinions on questions of law to state officers and agencies ~ A.R.S. § 41-193(A)(7); and
# Perform other duties prescribed by law ~ A.R.S. § 41-193(A)(8).
Arizona Attorneys General
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the Arizona Territory, was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the ...
State of Arizona
;Parties
References
External links
Arizona Attorney General OpinionsArizona Attorney Generalofficial website
Arizona Attorney Generalarticles at ''ABA Journal''
at
FindLaw
FindLaw is a business of Internet Brands that provides online legal information in the form of state laws, case law and codes, legal blogs and articles, a lawyer directory, DIY legal services and products, and other legal resources. The compa ...
Arizona Revised Statutesat Law.Justia.com
U.S. Supreme Court Opinions – "Cases with title containing: State of Arizona"at
FindLaw
FindLaw is a business of Internet Brands that provides online legal information in the form of state laws, case law and codes, legal blogs and articles, a lawyer directory, DIY legal services and products, and other legal resources. The compa ...
State Bar of ArizonaArizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich profileat
National Association of Attorneys General
Press releasesat Arizona Attorney General's office
{{Arizona statewide elected officials
Arizona law-related lists