United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. 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.
| United States Attorney General | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the Department of Justice | |
 Flag of the United States Attorney General | |
| United States Department of Justice | |
| Style | Mr. Attorney General |
| Member of | Cabinet |
| Reports to | President of the United States |
| Seat | Department of Justice Headquarters Washington, D.C. |
| Appointer | The 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 | United States Deputy Attorney General |
| Salary | Executive Schedule, level I[2] |
| Website | www |
List of attorneys general
- Parties
Federalist (4) Democratic-Republican (5) Democratic (33) <span style="border:1px solid #AAAAAA; background-color:Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Political party/W' not found.; color:Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Political party/W' not found.;"> Whig (4) Republican (40) Political Independent / Unknown (1)
- Status
Denotes service as acting attorneys general before appointment or after resignation
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Notes
- ↑ 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 stating that the Department of Justice would not defend an executive order in court.[11]
- ↑ 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.[12] Maryland filed an injunction against Whitaker's appointment on this basis.[13] John E. Bies at Lawfare regarded it as an unresolved question.[14] The DOJ Office of Legal Counsel released a legal opinion, asserting that the appointment was legal and consistent with past precedent.[15]
- ↑ 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.[16]
References
- ↑ "3 U.S. Code § 19 - Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act". 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. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/3-top-nixon-aides-kleindienst-out-president-accepts-full-responsibility-richardson-will-conduct-new-probe/2012/06/04/gJQAx7oFJV_story.html. 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. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/27/washington/27cnd-gonzales.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1188217220-bs39MOr+UJpRTDAYWymL9g. Retrieved August 27, 2007.
- ↑ "President Bush Announces Judge Michael Mukasey as Nominee for Attorney General", White House press release, September 17, 2007
- ↑ "Bush Text on Attorney General Nomination". NewsOK.com (The Oklahoman). September 17, 2007. http://newsok.com/bush-text-on-attorney-general-nomination/article/3128043. Retrieved September 18, 2007.
- ↑ Eggen, Dan; Elizabeth Williamson (September 19, 2007). Democrats May Tie Confirmation to Gonzales Papers. pp. A10. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/18/AR2007091801379.html?nav=rss_politics. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
- ↑ Perez, Evan; Diamond, Jeremy (January 30, 2017). "Trump fires acting AG after she declines to defend travel ban". CNN. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ↑ (in en) Opinion | Trump's Appointment of the Acting Attorney General Is Unconstitutional. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/opinion/trump-attorney-general-sessions-unconstitutional.html. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
- ↑ "Maryland Says Matthew Whitaker Appointment As Acting Attorney General Is Unlawful" (in en). NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/2018/11/12/667180873/maryland-says-matthew-whitaker-appointment-as-acting-attorney-general-is-unlawfu?t=1542261595420. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
- ↑ "Matthew Whitaker's Appointment as Acting Attorney General: Three Lingering Questions" (in en). Lawfare. 2018-11-08. https://www.lawfareblog.com/matthew-whitakers-appointment-acting-attorney-general-three-lingering-questions. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
- ↑ Jarrett, Laura. "DOJ says Whitaker's appointment as acting attorney general is constitutional". CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/14/politics/whitaker-justice-mueller/index.html. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
- ↑ "Trump's acting attorney general leaves without creating controversial special counsels". CNN.