Arizona Attorney General


The Arizona attorney general is the chief legal officer of the State of Arizona, in the United States. This state officer is the head of the Arizona Department of Law, more commonly known as the Arizona Attorney General's Office. The state attorney general is a constitutionally-established officer, elected by the people of the state to a four-year term. The state attorney general is second in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Arizona.
Headed by the attorney general of Arizona, the Arizona Attorney General's Office is the largest law office in the state, with approximately 400 attorneys and 1,000 employees., the Attorney General's Office is divided into the following divisions:
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.
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, however the Arizona Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional during the appointment process of Jack LaSota in 1977; LaSota had not renewed his state bar membership and was therefore not considered a practicing attorney.

Powers and duties

While the state 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 the Arizona State Legislature. In pursuance of this constitutional mandate, the Arizona Legislature has prescribed that, under A.R.S. §41-193 – § 41-193, the attorney general of Arizona, through the Arizona Department of Law, shall:
  1. Prosecute and defend in the state supreme court all proceedings in which the state or an officer thereof is a party ~ A.R.S. § 41-193;
  2. Under certain conditions, prosecute and defend any proceeding in all other courts of the state, in which the state or an officer thereof is a party or has an interest ~ A.R.S. § 41-193;
  3. Represent the state in any action in a federal court ~ A.R.S. § 41-193;
  4. Exercise supervisory powers over county attorneys ~ A.R.S. § 41-193;
  5. Under certain conditions, assist any county attorney in the discharge of their duties ~ A.R.S. § 41-193;
  6. Maintain a docket of all proceedings in which the attorney general is required to appear ~ A.R.S. §41-193;
  7. Issue attorney general opinions on questions of law to state officers and agencies ~ A.R.S. § 41-193; and
  8. Perform other duties prescribed by law ~ A.R.S. § 41-193.

    Arizona Attorneys General

[Arizona Territory]

State of Arizona

;Parties
#ImageNamePolitical PartyTerm of Office
1George Purdy BullardDemocratic1912–1915
2Wiley E. JonesDemocratic1915–1921
3W. J. GalbraithRepublican1921–1923
4John W. MurphyDemocratic1923–1928
5K. Berry PetersonDemocratic1928–1933
6Arthur T. LaPradeDemocratic1933–1935
7John L. SullivanDemocratic1935–1937
8Joe ConwayDemocratic1937–1944
9John L. SullivanDemocratic1944–1948
10Evo Anton DeConciniDemocratic1948–1949
11Fred O. WilsonDemocratic1949–1953
12Ross F. JonesRepublican1953–1955
13Robert MorrisonDemocratic1955–1959
14Wade ChurchDemocratic1959–1961
15Robert PickrellRepublican1961–1965
16Darrell F. SmithRepublican1965–1968
17Gary K. NelsonRepublican1969–1974
18N. Warner LeeRepublican1974–1975
19Bruce BabbittDemocratic1975–1978
20Jack LaSotaDemocratic1978–1979
21Robert K. CorbinRepublican1979–1991
22Grant WoodsRepublican1991–1999
23Janet NapolitanoDemocratic1999–2003
24Terry GoddardDemocratic2003–2011
25Tom HorneRepublican2011–2015
26Mark BrnovichRepublican2015–2023
27Kris MayesDemocratic2023–present