Understanding the Powers of the Attorney General
What is the United States Attorney General?
The United States Attorney General, which is the office of the national attorney general, operates as the chief legal counsel for the United States. The individual who acts as the United States Attorney General must be appointed by the President and subsequently confirmed by the Senate to operate within the Presidential Cabinet.
As a result of this appointment status, the individual holding office as the United States Attorney General will typically be removed once the acting President’s term ends. In addition to assuming a role as the chief counsel for the United States Federal Government, the National Attorney General holds all authority and actively manages the United States Department of Justice.
The United States Congress created the office and position of the United States Attorney General in 1789. During this time the powers of the Attorney General were primarily limited to representing the government in the United States Supreme Court and to advise the President on basic legal matters. These powers of the Attorney General; however, evolved as the Department of Justice grew in size and prominence.
Powers of the United States Attorney General:
The United States Attorney General is responsible for advising the executive branch regarding all crucial legal matters. Furthermore, the powers of the Attorney General extend to a generalized administration role within the Department of Justice.
The most basic powers of the attorney general require the acting individual to represent the United States Federal Government in all legal matters that make it to the Supreme Court. If the matter is not considered of dire importance, the United States Attorney General may direct the US Solicitor General to argue on behalf of the United States government for all legal matters brought before the court.
Members of the government, and more specifically those who operate within the cabinet, are free to seek legal advice from any private attorney in the country; however, private attorneys are not permitted to argue for cabinet officials in front of the United States Supreme Court. As the fundamental powers of the Attorney General, only individuals from this office or the Solicitor General may argue on behalf of public employees in the United States Supreme Court.
Powers of the State Attorney General:
In addition to the United States Attorney General, who works for and represents on behalf of the United States Federal Government, each state government maintains an attorney general position. A state’s attorney general powers are tied into law enforcement; local attorney generals are responsible for enforcing the law in the state where the individual was elected.
Similar to the federal position, the state attorney general will also serve as the government’s chief legal representative, as well as the general counsel, for the majority of the state’s government agencies. Furthermore, each state’s attorney general will manage all legal representation of the state in civil and criminal matters.
As the chief legal representative of the state’s government, the attorney general will provide legal counsel to the state and its various agencies. The powers of the attorney general, in a local sense, require the office to enforce the laws of the state in a just and equitable fashion across the body’s entire citizenship. In addition to these powers of the attorney general, the state office will provide a number of fundamental services to the state’s various government agencies.
These core initiatives will range from forensic sciences to telecommunications; the specific powers of the attorney general will vary by state.