Every state, commonwealth and territory in the US elects an attorney general as its chief legal officer to work with legislatures, agencies and law enforcement to protect public interests while upholding state laws and policies.
Politicians who assert that state attorneys general must defend all laws or may never concede unconstitutionality demonstrate an incredible lack of knowledge when it comes to state and federal law.
Legislative Counsel
The office of attorney general serves as legal advisers to state agencies and legislatures. Sometimes the AG also serves as prosecutorial authorities. Dubbed as “People’s Lawyer,” state AGs perform various functions including defending civil actions on behalf of their state, enforcing state laws, protecting government officials against legal challenges from civil actions brought against them, investigating crimes, protecting government officials against legal challenges from outside sources and fighting fraud.
With 830 employees, the Office of Attorney General investigates drug traffickers, defends state agencies when sued and works on consumer, corruption and environmental protection cases. It also operates Victims of Crime Compensation Program and oversees various law enforcement initiatives according to their office. Attorneys provide legal opinions and legislative drafting and may serve as acting Attorney General when the position becomes vacant – an accredited law school degree is necessary in order to work at this office.
Enforcement
As New York’s chief law enforcement officer, the Attorney General is charged with upholding laws designed to safeguard consumers, tenants, patients, workers and investors. Their office also prosecutes crimes that affect New Yorkers more directly — such as scams targeting seniors or mergers violating antitrust regulations.
This office serves as the largest law firm within state government, employing 830 staff who work on criminal, civil and consumer protection cases. They conduct investigations of drug trafficking, child pornography and computer crimes; prosecute complex financial frauds such as tax evasion; as well as appeals of all felony convictions across the state.
Likewise, they defend state agencies and employees when sued; bring civil suits on their behalf to collect outstanding state debt; conduct administrative hearings such as those before the State Athletic Control Board; prepare formal legal opinions when requested from authorized requesters; as well as serve as ex-officio members on state boards and commissions.
Advocacy
Each AG office possesses a wide variety of policy and advocacy tools that enable it to adapt quickly to current issues. Last year, for instance, New York AG used civil lawsuits against condo developers who fraudulently converted rental apartments to condos/coops; furthermore this office prosecutes claims against mortgage lenders/brokers, takes on predatory landlords, enforces consumer and healthcare protection laws as well as seeking antitrust violations, environmental hazards or any business misconduct that arise.
Each AG’s office serves as a counsel for state government agencies and legislatures while representing public interests. Their staff guides, mediates, negotiates and drafts legal documents that support state government operations; additionally they defend state agencies when sued as well as initiate their own civil suits; they administer professional licensing boards as well as victim of crime assistance grant programs like Byrne Justice Assistance Grant grants.
Public Education
Politicians and corporate reformers tend to believe that public education serves primarily the purpose of equipping American students to compete globally against foreign competition. High stakes testing is used as an indicator to judge whether teachers are doing their job. But many factors beyond teachers’ control affect student performance that can impact performance levels outside the classroom environment.
The Office of the Attorney General (often known as an AG’s Office) serves as a state’s largest law firm, comprising attorneys, investigators, and support staff that undertake various legal tasks; among these include:
State Attorney Generals possess broad powers that enable them to adapt quickly to shifting situations at both federal and state levels. Tune into NAAG’s biweekly podcast The People’s Lawyer to discover more about what AGs do, how they do it and their processes for doing it.
