Tennessee Attorney General
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 |
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 Herbert Slatery, who was appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court for an eight-year term in 2014 to fill that position. His service officially began with his swearing in by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, a close personal friend whom he had previously served as legal counsel, on October 1, 2014. [2]
Appointment[]
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 - Jonathan Skrmetti
- 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 - Jay Dickerson
- responsible for administrative matters
- oversees talent management, organizational development, Information technology, fiscal issues, and facilities issues
List of attorneys general[]
# | Name | Tenure | Party |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1831–1839 | ||
2 | 1839 | ||
3 | West Hughes Humphreys | 1839–1851 | |
4 | William Graham Swan | 1851–1854 | |
5 | 1854–1859 | ||
6 | John W. Head | 1859–1862 | |
7 | 1865–1870 | ||
8 | Joseph Brown Heiskell | 1870–1878 | |
9 | Benjamin J. Lea | 1878–1886 | |
10 | 1886–1902 | ||
11 | 1902–1913 | ||
12 | 1913–1926 | ||
13 | 1926 | ||
14 | 1926–1932 | ||
15 | 1932–1954 | ||
16 | 1954–1969 | ||
17 | 1969–1974 | ||
18 | Milton P. Rice | 1974 | |
19 | 1974–1976 | ||
20 | 1976–1978 | ||
21 | 1978–1984 | ||
22 | 1984–1988 | ||
23 | Charles Burson | 1988–1997 | Democratic |
24 | 1997–1999 | ||
25 | Paul G. Summers | 1999–2006 | |
26 | Robert E. Cooper, Jr. | 2006–2014 | Democratic |
27 | Herbert Slatery | 2014–present | Republican |
References[]
- ^ Office of the Attorney General and Reporter. "Tennessee Attorney General". Retrieved 2008-12-03.
- ^ Scott Harrison. "Cooper out, Herbert Slatery in as Tennessee AG".
- ^ "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
- Tennessee Attorneys General
- Tennessee stubs