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Tennessee Attorney General

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Attorney General and Reporter of State of Tennessee
since September 1, 2022
Office of the Attorney General and Reporter
SeatNashville, Tennessee
AppointerTennessee Supreme Court
Term length8 years
Constituting instrumentConstitution of Tennessee
Article VI Section 5
Formation1831
Salary$196,968 (2021)[1]
WebsiteGovernment Website

The Tennessee Attorney General (officially, Attorney General and Reporter) is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. state of Tennessee.[2] The office of the attorney general is located at the state capitol in Nashville, Tennessee. The current office holder is Jonathan Skrmetti, who was appointed in 2022 by the Tennessee Supreme Court for an eight-year term. His service officially began when he was sworn in by the current Governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee, on September 1, 2022.[3]

Appointment by judiciary

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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.[4] In most other states, the office of attorney general is appointed by the governor or elected by voters or the legislature.

Duties

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Office of the Attorney General

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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.[5]

Chief Deputy Attorney General - Lacey E. Mase

  • 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

Chief of Staff - Brandon J. Smith

  • responsible for administrative matters
  • oversees talent management, organizational development, information technology, fiscal issues, and facilities issues

List of attorneys general

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# Image Name Tenure Party
1 George Shall Yerger 1831–1839
2 Return J. Meigs III 1839
3 West Hughes Humphreys 1839–1851
4 William Graham Swan 1851–1854 Democratic
5 John L. T. Sneed 1854–1859
6 John W. Head 1859–1862 Democratic
– Horace Maynard 1864 Unconditional Union
7 Thomas M. Coldwell 1865–1870
8 Joseph Brown Heiskell 1870–1878 Democratic
9 Benjamin J. Lea 1878–1886 Democratic
10 George Wesley Pickle[6] 1886–1902
11 Charles T. Cates, Jr. 1902–1913
12 Frank M. Thompson 1913–1926
13 Charles L. Cornelius 1926
14 L. D. Smith 1926–1932
15 Roy H. Beeler[7][8][9] 1932–1954
16 George F. McCanless 1954–1969
17 David M. Pack 1969–1974
18 Milton P. Rice 1974
19 R.A. Ashley Jr. 1974–1976
20 Brooks McLemore 1976–1978
21 William M. Leech Jr. 1978–1984
22 W.J. Michael Cody 1984–1988
23 Charles Burson 1988–1997 Democratic
24 John Knox Walkup 1997–1999
25 Paul G. Summers 1999–2006
26 Robert E. Cooper Jr. 2006–2014 Democratic
27 Herbert Slatery 2014–2022 Republican
28 Jonathan Skrmetti 2022–present Republican

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Book of the States 2021". 7 January 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  2. ^ Office of the Attorney General and Reporter. "Tennessee Attorney General". Retrieved 2008-12-03.
  3. ^ Office of the Attorney General and Reporter. "Jonathan Skrmetti Sworn in as Tennessee's 28th Attorney General".
  4. ^ "Constitution of the State of Tennessee" (PDF). Tennessee General Assembly. 1870. Retrieved 8 Dec 2019.
  5. ^ "Divisions". www.tn.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  6. ^ "Pickle Mansion".
  7. ^ "The Lawyer's Lawyer: Attorney General Roy H. Beeler | the Knoxville Focus".
  8. ^ Roy H. Beeler (1950-09-26). "General Ray H. Beeler's Opinion on Segregation".
  9. ^ "Education: We Must Go Along". Time. 9 October 1950.
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