The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states , of the federal district , or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney general serves as the head of a state department of justice, with responsibilities similar to those of the United States Department of Justice .
Party affiliation of current United States attorneys general:
Democratic (26)
Republican (28)
Independent (1)
New Progressive (1)
The most prevalent method of selecting a state's attorney general is by popular election. 43 states have an elected attorney general.[1] Elected attorneys general serve a four-year term, except in Vermont, where the term is two years.[2]
Seven states do not popularly elect an attorney general. In Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Wyoming, the attorney general is appointed by the governor.[1] The attorney general in Tennessee is appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court for an eight-year term.[1] [2] In Maine, the attorney general is elected by the state Legislature for a two-year term.[1] [2]
The District of Columbia and two U.S. territories, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, elect their attorneys general for a four-year term. 2014 marked the first year that the District of Columbia and the Northern Mariana Islands held an election for the office. In American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the attorney general is appointed by the governor.[3] In Puerto Rico, the attorney general is officially called the secretary of justice, but is commonly known as the Puerto Rico attorney general.[4]
Many states have passed term limits limiting the selection to 2 consecutive terms (9 states); 2 terms maximum (4 states), but 33 states still have no term limits.[5]
State attorneys general enforce both state and federal laws. Because they are sworn to uphold the United States' constitution and laws as well as the state's, they may decline to defend a state law in federal preemption case.[6]
The current party composition of the state attorneys general is:
The composition for the District of Columbia and the 5 populated territories is:
Rows of the attorney general table below are color coded indicating the political party of the office holder.
More information Officeholder, Party ...
Officeholder
State
Party
Assumed office
Term expires
Law school
Term limits
Steve Marshall
Alabama
Republican
February 10, 2017
2027 (term limits)
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
2 consecutive terms
Treg Taylor
Alaska
Republican
January 30, 2021
Appointed
Brigham Young University
no term limits
Fainu'ulelei Alailima-Utu
American Samoa
Nonpartisan
January 21, 2021
Appointed
University of California, Los Angeles
Kris Mayes
Arizona
Democratic
January 2, 2023
2027
Arizona State University, Tempe
2 consecutive terms
Tim Griffin
Arkansas
Republican
January 10, 2023
2027
Tulane University
2 terms maximum
Rob Bonta
California
Democratic
April 23, 2021
2027
Yale University
2 terms maximum
Phil Weiser
Colorado
Democratic
January 8, 2019
2027 (term limits)
New York University
2 consecutive terms
William Tong
Connecticut
Democratic
January 9, 2019
2027
University of Chicago
no term limits
Kathy Jennings
Delaware
Democratic
January 1, 2019
2027
Villanova University
no term limits
Brian Schwalb
District of Columbia
Democratic
January 2, 2023
2027
Harvard University
Ashley Moody
Florida
Republican
January 9, 2019
2027 (term limits)
University of Florida Stetson University (LLM )
2 consecutive terms
Chris Carr
Georgia
Republican
November 1, 2016
2027
University of Georgia
no term limits
Doug Moylan
Guam
Republican
January 2, 2023
2027
Santa Clara University
Anne Lopez
Hawaii
Democratic
December 5, 2022
Appointed
University of Hawaii, Manoa
no term limits
Raúl Labrador
Idaho
Republican
January 2, 2023
2027
University of Washington, Seattle
no term limits
Kwame Raoul
Illinois
Democratic
January 14, 2019
2027
Illinois Institute of Technology
no term limits
Todd Rokita
Indiana
Republican
January 11, 2021
2025
Indiana University, Indianapolis
no term limits
Brenna Bird
Iowa
Republican
January 3, 2023
2027
University of Chicago
no term limits
Kris Kobach
Kansas
Republican
January 9, 2023
2027
Yale University
no term limits
Russell Coleman
Kentucky
Republican
January 1, 2024
2028
University of Kentucky
2 consecutive terms
Liz Murrill
Louisiana
Republican
January 8, 2024
2028
Louisiana State University Pepperdine University (LLM )
no term limits
Aaron Frey
Maine
Democratic
January 2, 2019
2025 (Elected by the Legislature)
Roger Williams University
4 two year terms
Anthony Brown
Maryland
Democratic
January 3, 2023
2027
Harvard University
no term limits
Andrea Campbell
Massachusetts
Democratic
January 18, 2023
2027
University of California, Los Angeles
no term limits
Dana Nessel
Michigan
Democratic
January 1, 2019
2027 (term limits)
Wayne State University
2 terms max
Keith Ellison
Minnesota
Democratic (DFL)
January 7, 2019
2027
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
no term limits
Lynn Fitch
Mississippi
Republican
January 9, 2020
2028
University of Mississippi, Oxford
no term limits
Andrew Bailey
Missouri
Republican
January 3, 2023
2025
University of Missouri, Columbia
no term limits
Austin Knudsen
Montana
Republican
January 4, 2021
2025
University of Montana
2 terms in 16-year period
Mike Hilgers
Nebraska
Republican
January 5, 2023
2027
University of Chicago
no term limits
Aaron D. Ford
Nevada
Democratic
January 7, 2019
2027 (term limits)
Ohio State University, Columbus
2 terms max
John Formella
New Hampshire
Republican
April 22, 2021
2025 (appointed)
George Washington University
no term limits
Matt Platkin
New Jersey
Democratic
February 14, 2022
Appointed
Stanford University
no term limits
Raúl Torrez
New Mexico
Democratic
January 1, 2023
2027
Stanford University
2 consecutive terms
Letitia James
New York
Democratic
January 1, 2019
2027
Howard University
no term limits
Josh Stein
North Carolina
Democratic
January 1, 2017
2025 (running for Governor)
Harvard University
no term limits
Drew Wrigley
North Dakota
Republican
February 9, 2022
2027
American University
no term limits
Edward Manibusan
Northern Mariana Islands
Democratic
January 13, 2015
2027
Gonzaga University
Dave Yost
Ohio
Republican
January 14, 2019
2027 (term limits)
Capital University
2 consecutive terms
Gentner Drummond
Oklahoma
Republican
January 9, 2023
2027
Georgetown University
2 terms max
Ellen Rosenblum
Oregon
Democratic
June 29, 2012
2025 (retiring)
University of Oregon
no term limits
Michelle Henry
Pennsylvania
Democratic
January 17, 2023
2025
Widener University
2 consecutive terms
Domingo Emanuelli
Puerto Rico [7]
New Progressive
January 2, 2021
Appointed
University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras
Peter Neronha
Rhode Island
Democratic
January 1, 2019
2027 (term limits)
Boston College
2 consecutive terms
Alan Wilson
South Carolina
Republican
January 12, 2011
2027
University of South Carolina, Columbia
no term limits
Marty Jackley
South Dakota
Republican
January 3, 2023
2027
University of South Dakota
2 consecutive terms
Jonathan Skrmetti
Tennessee
Republican
September 1, 2022
2030 (Elected by State Supreme Court)
Harvard University
no term limits
Ken Paxton
Texas
Republican
January 5, 2015 Suspended: May 27, 2023 – September 16, 2023
2027
University of Notre Dame
no term limits
Gordon Rhea
U.S. Virgin Islands
Nonpartisan
April 29, 2024
Appointed
Stanford University
Sean Reyes
Utah
Republican
December 30, 2013
2025
University of California, Berkeley
no term limits
Charity Clark
Vermont
Democratic
January 5, 2023
2025
Boston College
no term limits
Jason Miyares
Virginia
Republican
January 15, 2022
2026
College of William and Mary
no term limits
Bob Ferguson
Washington
Democratic
January 16, 2013
2025 (running for Governor)
New York University
no term limits
Patrick Morrisey
West Virginia
Republican
January 14, 2013
2025 (running for Governor)
Rutgers University, Newark
no term limits
Josh Kaul
Wisconsin
Democratic
January 7, 2019
2027
Stanford University
no term limits
Bridget Hill
Wyoming
Republican
January 7, 2019
Appointed
University of Wyoming
no term limits
Close