The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the United States on all legal matters. The attorney general is also a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States and a member of the United States National Security Council. Additionally, the attorney general is seventh in the presidential line of succession. The attorney general is the only cabinet department head who is not given the title Secretary.

Under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution, the officeholder is nominated by the president of the United States, and, following a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, will take office if confirmed by the majority of the full United States Senate. The attorney general is supported by the Office of the Attorney General, which includes executive staff and several deputy attorneys general.

The attorney general is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule and thus earns the salary prescribed for that level: $250,600, as of January 2025.

Name

The title Attorney General is an example of a noun (attorney) followed by a postpositive adjective (general). "General" is a description of the type of attorney, not a title or rank in itself (as it would be in the military). Even though the attorney general (and the similarly titled solicitor general) is occasionally referred to as "General" or "General [last name]" by senior government officials, this is considered incorrect in standard American English usage. For the same reason, the correct American English plural form is "attorneys general" rather than "attorney generals".

History

Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 which, among other things, established the Office of the Attorney General. The original duties of this officer were "to prosecute and conduct all suits in the Supreme Court in which the United States shall be concerned, and to give his advice and opinion upon questions of law when required by the president of the United States, or when requested by the heads of any of the departments". Some of these duties have since been transferred to the United States solicitor general and the White House counsel.

The Department of Justice was established in 1870 to support the attorneys general in the discharge of their responsibilities. In 1841 the first volume of The Official Opinions of the Attorneys General of the United States was printed on the authorization of Congress and contained the legal justifications of the President's official actions.

The secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury, the secretary of defense, and the attorney general are regarded as the four most important Cabinet officials in the United States because of the size and importance of their respective departments.

Duties and responsibilities

The attorney general's duties and responsibilities as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government include overseeing the United States Department of Justice, enforcing federal laws, and providing both formal and informal legal advice and opinions to the president of the United States, the cabinet, and the heads of executive departments and agencies. The attorney general represents the federal government in legal matters and supervises the administration and operation of the Department of Justice, which includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Attorneys, and the United States Marshals Service.

Additionally, the attorney general advises the president of the United States on appointments to federal judicial positions and Department of Justice roles, including U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals. While the attorney general may represent the United States in the Supreme Court and other courts, this is typically handled by the solicitor general. The attorney general also performs or supervises other duties as required by statute or executive order.

Presidential transition

It is the practice for the attorney general, along with the other Cabinet secretaries and high-level political appointees of the president, to tender a resignation with effect at noon on the Inauguration Day (January 20) of a new president. The deputy attorney general is also expected to tender a resignation, but is commonly requested to stay on and act as the attorney general, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. , pending the confirmation by the Senate of the new attorney general.

For example, upon the inauguration of President Donald Trump at noon on January 20, 2017, then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch left her position, so then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, who had also tendered her resignation, was asked to stay on to serve as the acting attorney general, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. , until the confirmation of the new attorney general Jeff Sessions, who had been nominated for the office in November 2016 by then-President-elect Donald Trump.

List of attorneys general

Key

Federalist (4) Democratic-Republican (5) Democratic (34) Whig (4) Republican (40)

No.PortraitNameState of residenceTook officeLeft officePresident(s)
1Edmund RandolphVirginiaSeptember 26, 1789January 26, 1794George Washington (1789–1797)
2William BradfordPennsylvaniaJanuary 27, 1794August 23, 1795
3Charles LeeVirginiaDecember 10, 1795February 19, 1801
John Adams (1797–1801)
4Levi Lincoln Sr.MassachusettsMarch 5, 1801March 3, 1805Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809)
5John BreckinridgeKentuckyAugust 7, 1805December 14, 1806
6Caesar Augustus RodneyDelawareJanuary 20, 1807December 10, 1811
James Madison (1809–1817)
7William PinkneyMarylandDecember 11, 1811February 9, 1814
8Richard RushPennsylvaniaFebruary 10, 1814November 12, 1817
9William WirtVirginiaNovember 13, 1817March 4, 1829James Monroe (1817–1825)
John Quincy Adams (1825–1829)
10John Macpherson BerrienGeorgiaMarch 9, 1829July 19, 1831Andrew Jackson (1829–1837)
11Roger B. TaneyMarylandJuly 20, 1831November 14, 1833
12Benjamin Franklin ButlerNew YorkNovember 15, 1833July 4, 1838
Martin Van Buren (1837–1841)
13Felix GrundyTennesseeJuly 5, 1838January 10, 1840
14Henry D. GilpinPennsylvaniaJanuary 11, 1840March 4, 1841
15John J. Crittenden 1st termKentuckyMarch 5, 1841September 12, 1841William Henry Harrison (1841)
John Tyler (1841–1845)
16Hugh S. LegaréSouth CarolinaSeptember 13, 1841June 20, 1843
17John NelsonMarylandJuly 1, 1843March 4, 1845
18John Y. MasonVirginiaMarch 5, 1845October 16, 1846James K. Polk (1845–1849)
19Nathan CliffordMaineOctober 17, 1846March 17, 1848
20Isaac TouceyConnecticutJune 21, 1848March 4, 1849
21Reverdy JohnsonMarylandMarch 8, 1849July 21, 1850Zachary Taylor (1849–1850)
22John J. Crittenden 2nd termKentuckyJuly 22, 1850March 4, 1853Millard Fillmore (1850–1853)
23Caleb CushingMassachusettsMarch 7, 1853March 4, 1857Franklin Pierce (1853–1857)
24Jeremiah S. BlackPennsylvaniaMarch 6, 1857December 16, 1860James Buchanan (1857–1861)
25Edwin StantonPennsylvaniaDecember 20, 1860March 4, 1861
26Edward BatesMissouriMarch 5, 1861November 24, 1864Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865)
27James SpeedKentuckyDecember 2, 1864July 22, 1866
Andrew Johnson (1865–1869)
28Henry StanberyOhioJuly 23, 1866July 16, 1868
29William M. EvartsNew YorkJuly 17, 1868March 4, 1869
30Ebenezer R. HoarMassachusettsMarch 5, 1869November 22, 1870Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877)
31Amos T. AkermanGeorgiaNovember 23, 1870December 13, 1871
32George Henry WilliamsOregonDecember 14, 1871April 25, 1875
33Edwards PierrepontNew YorkApril 26, 1875May 21, 1876
34Alphonso TaftOhioMay 22, 1876March 4, 1877
35Charles DevensMassachusettsMarch 12, 1877March 4, 1881Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881)
36Wayne MacVeaghPennsylvaniaMarch 5, 1881December 15, 1881James A. Garfield (1881)
Chester A. Arthur (1881–1885)
37Benjamin H. BrewsterPennsylvaniaDecember 16, 1881March 4, 1885
38Augustus GarlandArkansasMarch 6, 1885March 4, 1889Grover Cleveland (1885–1889)
39William H. H. MillerIndianaMarch 7, 1889March 4, 1893Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893)
40Richard OlneyMassachusettsMarch 6, 1893April 7, 1895Grover Cleveland (1893–1897)
41Judson HarmonOhioApril 8, 1895March 4, 1897
42Joseph McKennaCaliforniaMarch 5, 1897January 25, 1898William McKinley (1897–1901)
43John W. GriggsNew JerseyJanuary 25, 1898March 29, 1901
44Philander C. KnoxPennsylvaniaApril 5, 1901June 30, 1904
Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909)
45William Henry MoodyMassachusettsJuly 1, 1904December 17, 1906
46Charles BonaparteMarylandDecember 17, 1906March 4, 1909
47George W. WickershamNew YorkMarch 4, 1909March 4, 1913William Howard Taft (1909–1913)
48James McReynoldsTennesseeMarch 5, 1913August 29, 1914Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921)
49Thomas Watt GregoryTexasAugust 29, 1914March 4, 1919
50A. Mitchell PalmerPennsylvaniaMarch 5, 1919March 4, 1921
51Harry M. DaughertyOhioMarch 4, 1921April 6, 1924Warren G. Harding (1921–1923)
Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929)
52Harlan F. StoneNew YorkApril 7, 1924March 1, 1925
53John G. SargentVermontMarch 7, 1925March 4, 1929
54William D. MitchellMinnesotaMarch 4, 1929March 4, 1933Herbert Hoover (1929–1933)
55Homer Stille CummingsConnecticutMarch 4, 1933January 1, 1939Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945)
56Frank MurphyMichiganJanuary 2, 1939January 18, 1940
57Robert H. JacksonNew YorkJanuary 18, 1940August 25, 1941
58Francis BiddlePennsylvaniaAugust 26, 1941June 26, 1945Harry S. Truman (1945–1953)
59Tom C. ClarkTexasJune 27, 1945July 26, 1949
60J. Howard McGrathRhode IslandJuly 27, 1949April 3, 1952
61James P. McGraneryPennsylvaniaApril 4, 1952January 20, 1953
62Herbert Brownell Jr.New YorkJanuary 21, 1953October 23, 1957Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
63William P. RogersNew YorkOctober 23, 1957January 20, 1961
64Robert F. KennedyMassachusettsJanuary 20, 1961September 3, 1964John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
65Nicholas KatzenbachNew JerseySeptember 4, 1964January 28, 1965
January 28, 1965November 28, 1966
66Ramsey ClarkTexasNovember 28, 1966March 10, 1967
March 10, 1967January 20, 1969
67John N. MitchellNew YorkJanuary 20, 1969February 15, 1972Richard Nixon (1969–1974)
68Richard KleindienstArizonaFebruary 15, 1972April 30, 1973
69Elliot RichardsonMassachusettsMay 25, 1973October 20, 1973
–William Ruckelshaus ActingIndianaOctober 20, 1973
–Robert Bork ActingWashington, D.C.October 20, 1973January 4, 1974
70William B. SaxbeOhioJanuary 4, 1974February 2, 1975
Gerald Ford (1974–1977)
71Edward H. LeviIllinoisFebruary 2, 1975January 20, 1977
–Harold R. Tyler Jr. ActingNew YorkJanuary 20, 1977Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)
–Dick Thornburgh ActingPennsylvaniaJanuary 20, 1977January 26, 1977
72Griffin BellGeorgiaJanuary 26, 1977August 16, 1979
73Benjamin CivilettiMarylandAugust 16, 1979January 19, 1981
–Charles Byron Renfrew ActingCaliforniaJanuary 20, 1981January 23, 1981Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)
74William French SmithCaliforniaJanuary 23, 1981February 25, 1985
75Edwin MeeseCaliforniaFebruary 25, 1985August 12, 1988
76Dick ThornburghPennsylvaniaAugust 12, 1988August 15, 1991
George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
77William Barr 1st termVirginiaAugust 16, 1991November 26, 1991
November 26, 1991January 20, 1993
–George J. Terwilliger III ActingVermontJanuary 20, 1993Bill Clinton (1993–2001)
–Stuart M. Gerson ActingMarylandJanuary 20, 1993March 12, 1993
78Janet RenoFloridaMarch 12, 1993January 20, 2001
–Eric Holder ActingWashington, D.C.January 20, 2001February 2, 2001George W. Bush (2001–2009)
79John AshcroftMissouriFebruary 2, 2001February 3, 2005
80Alberto GonzalesTexasFebruary 3, 2005September 17, 2007
–Paul Clement ActingVirginiaSeptember 17, 2007September 18, 2007
–Peter Keisler ActingMarylandSeptember 18, 2007November 9, 2007
81Michael MukaseyNew YorkNovember 9, 2007January 20, 2009
–Mark Filip ActingIllinoisJanuary 20, 2009February 3, 2009Barack Obama (2009–2017)
82Eric HolderWashington, D.C.February 3, 2009April 27, 2015
83Loretta LynchNew YorkApril 27, 2015January 20, 2017
–Sally Yates ActingGeorgiaJanuary 20, 2017January 30, 2017Donald Trump (2017–2021)
–Channing D. Phillips ActingWashington, D.C.January 30, 2017
–Dana Boente ActingVirginiaJanuary 30, 2017February 9, 2017
84Jeff SessionsAlabamaFebruary 9, 2017November 7, 2018
–Rod Rosenstein ActingMarylandNovember 7, 2018
–Matthew Whitaker ActingIowaNovember 7, 2018February 14, 2019
85William Barr 2nd termVirginiaFebruary 14, 2019December 23, 2020
–Jeffrey A. Rosen ActingVirginiaDecember 24, 2020January 20, 2021
–John Demers ActingVirginiaJanuary 20, 2021Joe Biden (2021–2025)
–Monty Wilkinson ActingWashington, D.C.January 20, 2021March 11, 2021
86Merrick GarlandMarylandMarch 11, 2021January 20, 2025
–Lisa Monaco ActingWashington, D.C.January 20, 2025Donald Trump (2025–present)
–Gary M. Restaino ActingArizonaJanuary 20, 2025
–James McHenry ActingWashington, D.C.January 20, 2025February 5, 2025
87Pam BondiFloridaFebruary 5, 2025April 2, 2026
–Todd Blanche ActingFloridaApril 2, 2026Incumbent

Line of succession

28 U.S.C. establishes the first two positions in the line of succession, while allowing the attorney general to designate other high-ranking officers of the Department of Justice as subsequent successors. Furthermore, the most recent Executive Order pertaining to the line of succession, Executive Order 14136 titled "Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice" that was signed by President Joe Biden on January 3, 2025, and published in the Federal Register on January 13, 2025, but was revoked by President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025 and has yet to be replaced with another executive order pertaining to the line of succession, defines subsequent positions. The most recent line of succession was:

  1. United States Deputy Attorney General
  2. United States Associate Attorney General
  3. Other officers potentially designated by the attorney general (in no particular order): Solicitor General of the United States Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division Assistant Attorney General, National Security Division Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division Assistant Attorney General, Tax Division Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legislative Affairs
  4. United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
  5. United States Attorney for the District of Arizona
  6. United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois
  7. United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii

Notable figures

See also

Notes

External links

U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byPete Hegsethas Secretary of DefenseOrder of precedence of the United States as Attorney GeneralSucceeded byDoug Burgumas Secretary of the Interior
U.S. presidential line of succession
Preceded bySecretary of Defense Pete Hegseth7th in lineSucceeded bySecretary of the Interior Doug Burgum