Tennessee Attorney General
The Tennessee attorney general is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. state of Tennessee. 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.
Appointment by judiciary
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. In most other states, the office of attorney general is appointed by the governor or elected by voters or the legislature.Duties
- Serves as the chief executive officer of the legal department of state government. Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-6-102; Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 4-3-1502, -1503; Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 4-3-101,-111.
- Manages the office of the Attorney General and Reporter
- Directs all civil litigated matters and administrative proceedings in which the state of Tennessee or any officer, department, agency, board, commission, or instrumentality of the state may be interested. Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-6-109
- Provides legal representation and/or renders opinions, gives counsel, etc. to the state and political subdivisions of the state.
- Attends to all business of the state, both civil and criminal in the court of appeals, the court of criminal appeals, and the supreme court. Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-6-109.
Office of the Attorney General
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.Chief Deputy Attorney General -
Lacey E. Mase
- The chief deputy manages the office and coordinates and oversees the office’s legal work.
- Mase was a controversial former staffer for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, before being terminated.
- Oversees all litigation on appeals in the Tennessee Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Criminal Appeals, U.S. Supreme Court, and U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and oversees all opinions published by the attorney general.
- Previously clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas and judge Sandra Ikuta, and was in private practice at Williams & Connolly LLP.
- The chief of staff manages external relations, including communication and legislative strategy, and coordinates with other AG offices across the country.
- Previously a partner at the Memphis office of Butler Snow LLP.
- The chief operating officer manages administrative matters including talent management, organizational development, IT, fiscal, and facilities management.
- Previously worked for Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, and President George W. Bush.