| Attorney General of Arizona | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the attorney general of Arizona | |
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| Style | The Honorable |
| Residence | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Term length | Four years; renewable once consecutively |
| Inaugural holder | Coles Bashford |
| Formation | 1912 |
| Succession | Second |
| Deputy | None |
| Salary | $90,000 |
| Website | www |
TheArizona attorney general is thechief legal officer of theState of Arizona,[1] in theUnited States. This state officer is the head of the Arizona Department of Law,[2] more commonly known as the Arizona Attorney General's Office. The state attorney general is aconstitutionally-established officer, elected by the people of the state to a four-year term. The state attorney general is second (behind theSecretary of State) in theline of succession to the office ofGovernor of Arizona.[3]
Headed by the attorney general of Arizona,[1] the Arizona Attorney General's Office is the largest law office in the state, with approximately 400 attorneys and 1,000 employees. As of 2019[update], the Attorney General's Office is divided into the following divisions:[4][5]
The Arizona Constitution requires all of the officers in the state's executive department, including the attorney general, to be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for ten years and an Arizona resident for five years.[6]
Arizona law further requires the attorney general to have been a "practicing attorney before the supreme court of the state" for at least five years before taking office,[7] however theArizona Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional during the appointment process ofJack LaSota in 1977; LaSota had not renewed his state bar membership and was therefore not considered a practicing attorney.[8]
While thestate constitution establishes the office of Attorney General, it does not prescribe the powers of the office. Instead, the Arizona Constitution expressly provides that the powers and duties of the state attorney general are to be prescribed by theArizona State Legislature.[9] In pursuance of this constitutional mandate, the Arizona Legislature has prescribed that, underA.R.S. §41-193(A)(1) – § 41-193(A)(8), the attorney general of Arizona, through the Arizona Department of Law, shall:
| Image | Name | Term of Office |
|---|---|---|
 | Coles Bashford | 1864–1866 |
| John A. Rush | 1866–1867 | |
 | Granville Henderson Oury | 1869 |
| J. E. McCaffry | ca. 1872 | |
 | Clark Churchill | 1884–1887 |
| Briggs Goodrich | 1887–1888 | |
| John A. Rush | 1888–1889 | |
| Clark Churchill | 1889–1892 |
 | William Herring | 1892–1893 |
| John C. Herndon | 1893 | |
 | Francis J. Heney | 1893–1895 |
| Thomas D. Satterwhite | 1895–1896 | |
| John Frank Wilson | 1896–1897 | |
| C. M. Frazier | 1898 | |
| Charles F. Ainsworth | 1898–1902 | |
 | Edmund W. Wells | 1902–1904 |
.jpg) | Joseph H. Kibbey | 1904–1905 |
| E. S. Clark | 1905–1910 | |
| John B. Wright | 1910–1912 |
Democratic (17) Republican (10)
| # | Image | Name | Political Party | Term of Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | George Purdy Bullard | Democratic | 1912–1915 |
| 2 |  | Wiley E. Jones | Democratic | 1915–1921 |
| 3 |  | W. J. Galbraith | Republican | 1921–1923 |
| 4 |  | John W. Murphy | Democratic | 1923–1928 |
| 5 | K. Berry Peterson | Democratic | 1928–1933 | |
| 6 |  | Arthur T. LaPrade | Democratic | 1933–1935 |
| 7 |  | John L. Sullivan | Democratic | 1935–1937 |
| 8 | Joe Conway | Democratic | 1937–1944 | |
| 9 | | John L. Sullivan | Democratic | 1944–1948 |
| 10 | Evo Anton DeConcini | Democratic | 1948–1949 | |
| 11 | Fred O. Wilson | Democratic | 1949–1953 | |
| 12 | Ross F. Jones | Republican | 1953–1955 | |
| 13 | Robert Morrison | Democratic | 1955–1959 | |
| 14 | Wade Church | Democratic | 1959–1961 | |
| 15 |  | Robert Pickrell | Republican | 1961–1965 |
| 16 | Darrell F. Smith | Republican | 1965–1968 | |
| 17 | Gary K. Nelson | Republican | 1969–1974 | |
| 18 | N. Warner Lee | Republican | 1974–1975 | |
| 19 | .png) | Bruce Babbitt | Democratic | 1975–1978 |
| 20 | Jack LaSota | Democratic | 1978–1979 | |
| 21 |  | Robert K. Corbin | Republican | 1979–1991 |
| 22 | .jpg) | Grant Woods | Republican | 1991–1999 |
| 23 |  | Janet Napolitano | Democratic | 1999–2003 |
| 24 | .jpg) | Terry Goddard | Democratic | 2003–2011 |
| 25 | _(cropped).jpg) | Tom Horne | Republican | 2011–2015 |
| 26 |  | Mark Brnovich | Republican | 2015–2023 |
| 27 | | Kris Mayes | Democratic | 2023–present |
The attorney general shall have charge of and direct the department of law and shall serve as chief legal officer of the state [...] (A.R.S. §41-192).
The department of law shall be composed of the attorney general and the subdivisions of the department created as provided in this article [...] (A.R.S. §41-193).
No person shall be eligible to any of the offices mentioned in section 1 of this article except a person of the age of not less than twenty-five years, who shall have been for ten years next preceding his election a citizen of the United States, and for five years next preceding his election a citizen of Arizona (Arizona Const., article 5, section 2).
The attorney general shall have been for not less than five years immediately preceding the date of taking office a practicing attorney before the supreme court of the state. He is entitled to receive an annual salary pursuant to section 41-190 (A.R.S. §41-191(A).
The powers and duties of secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney-general, and superintendent of public instruction shall be as prescribed by law.
[The attorney general shall] [...] [p]rosecute and defend in the supreme court all proceedings in which the state or an officer thereof in his official capacity is a party.
[The attorney general shall] [...] [a]t the direction of the governor or when deemed necessary by the attorney general, prosecute and defend any proceeding in a state court other than the supreme court in which the state or an officer thereof is a party or has an interest.
[The attorney general shall] [...] [r]epresent the state in any action in a federal court, the cost thereof and the expenses of the attorney general incurred therein to be a charge against the state.
[The attorney general shall] [...] [e]xercise Exercise supervisory powers over county attorneys of the several counties in matters pertaining to that office and require reports relating to the public business thereof.
[The attorney general shall] [...] [a]t the direction of the governor, or when deemed necessary, assist any of the county attorneys in the discharge of their duties.
[The attorney general shall] [...] [m]aintain a docket of all proceedings in which the attorney general is required to appear, showing the condition thereof, the proceedings therein, the proceedings subsequent to judgment and the reasons for any delay of execution.
[The attorney general shall] [...] [u]pon demand by the legislature, or either house or any member thereof, any public officer of the state or a county attorney, render a written opinion upon any question of law relating to their offices. Such opinions shall be public records.
[The attorney general shall] [...] [p]erform other duties prescribed by law.
 Arizona statewide elected officials | |
|---|---|