Tennessee Attorney General
The Tennessee Attorney General (officially, Attorney General and Reporter) is a position within the Tennessee state government. The Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for Tennessee.[1] The current office holder is Jonathan Skrmetti, who was appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court for an eight-year term in 2022 to fill that position. His service officially began with his swearing in by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, for whom he had previously served as chief legal counsel, on September 1, 2022.[2]
| Attorney General and Reporter of State of Tennessee | |
|---|---|
| Office of the Attorney General and Reporter | |
| Seat | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Appointer | Tennessee Supreme Court |
| Term length | 8 years |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Tennessee Article VI Section 5 |
| Formation | 1831 |
| Website | https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral.html |
Appointment by judiciary
Unlike any other state, the Tennessee Attorney General is an officer of the judicial branch, not the executive branch. Article VI Section 5 of the Tennessee Constitution provides for the appointment of the Attorney General by the justices of the Supreme Court for a term of 8 years.[3] In most other states, the office of attorney general is appointed by the governor or elected by voters or the legislature.
Office of the Attorney General
The Attorney General oversees the work and operations of the Office of the Attorney General. In this capacity, he is assisted by various office heads.[4]
Chief Deputy Attorney General - Lacey E. Mase
- responsible for coordinating and supervising the Office's work
- reviews much of the work done by the Office
- responsible for general management
Solicitor General - Andreé Sophia Blumstein
- oversees all litigation on appeals in the Tennessee Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Criminal Appeals, U.S. Supreme Court, and U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals
- oversees all opinions published by the Attorney General
Chief of Staff - Brandon J. Smith
- responsible for administrative matters
- oversees talent management, organizational development, Information technology, fiscal issues, and facilities issues
List of attorneys general
| # | Name | Tenure | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George T. Yerger | 1831–1839 | |
| 2 | Return J. Meigs III | 1839 | |
| 3 | West Hughes Humphreys | 1839–1851 | |
| 4 | William Graham Swan | 1851–1854 | |
| 5 | John L.T. Sneed | 1854–1859 | |
| 6 | John W. Head | 1859–1862 | |
| 7 | Thomas M. Coldwell | 1865–1870 | |
| 8 | Joseph Brown Heiskell | 1870–1878 | |
| 9 | Benjamin J. Lea | 1878–1886 | |
| 10 | George W. Pickle | 1886–1902 | |
| 11 | Charles T. Cates, Jr. | 1902–1913 | |
| 12 | Frank M. Thompson | 1913–1926 | |
| 13 | Charles L. Cornelius | 1926 | |
| 14 | L. D. Smith | 1926–1932 | |
| 15 | Roy H. Beeler | 1932–1954 | |
| 16 | George F. McCanless | 1954–1969 | |
| 17 | David M. Pack | 1969–1974 | |
| 18 | Milton P. Rice | 1974 | |
| 19 | R.A. Ashley, Jr. | 1974–1976 | |
| 20 | Brooks McLemore | 1976–1978 | |
| 21 | William M. Leech, Jr. | 1978–1984 | |
| 22 | W.J. Michael Cody | 1984–1988 | |
| 23 | Charles Burson | 1988–1997 | Democratic |
| 24 | John Knox Walkup | 1997–1999 | |
| 25 | Paul G. Summers | 1999–2006 | |
| 26 | Robert E. Cooper, Jr. | 2006–2014 | Democratic |
| 27 | Herbert Slatery | 2014–2022 | Republican |
| 28 | Jonathan Skrmetti | 2022–present |
References
- ^ Office of the Attorney General and Reporter. "Tennessee Attorney General". Retrieved 2008-12-03.
- ^ Office of the Attorney General and Reporter. "Jonathan Skrmetti Sworn in as Tennessee's 28th Attorney General".
- ^ "Constitution of the State of Tennessee" (PDF). Tennessee General Assembly. 1870. Retrieved 8 Dec 2019.
- ^ "Divisions". www.tn.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
External links
- Tennessee Attorney General official website
- Tennessee Attorney General articles at ABA Journal
- News and Commentary at FindLaw
- Tennessee Code at Law.Justia.com
- U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of Tennessee" at FindLaw
- Tennessee Bar Association
- General Herbert H. Slatery, III profile at National Association of Attorneys General
- Press releases at Tennessee Attorney General