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Tennessee Attorney General

(Redirected from Attorney General of Tennessee)

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]

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

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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  • 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(25),-111(1).[5]
  • 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(b)(1)
  • 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(b)(2).

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.[6]

Chief Deputy Attorney General - Lacey E. Mase

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  • The chief deputy manages the office and coordinates and oversees the office’s legal work.[7]
  • Mase was a controversial former staffer for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, before being terminated.[8]

Solicitor General - Matt Rice

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Chief of Staff - Chris Tutor

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  • The chief of staff manages external relations, including communication and legislative strategy, and coordinates with other AG offices across the country.[10]
  • Previously a partner at the Memphis office of Butler Snow LLP.

Chief Operating Officer - Kelly Smith

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  • The chief operating officer manages administrative matters including talent management, organizational development, IT, fiscal, and facilities management.[11]
  • Previously worked for Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, and President George W. Bush.

List of attorneys general

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# Image Name Tenure Party
1George Shall Yerger1831–1839Whig
2Return J. Meigs III1839Democratic
3West Hughes Humphreys1839–1851Democratic
4William Graham Swan1851–1854Democratic
5John L. T. Sneed1854–1859Whig
6John W. Head1859–1862Democratic
–Horace Maynard1864Unconditional Union
7Thomas H. Coldwell1865–1870Republican
8Joseph Brown Heiskell1870–1878Democratic
9Benjamin J. Lea1878–1886Democratic
10George W. Pickle[12]1886–1902Democratic
11Charles T. Cates Jr.1902–1913Democratic
12Frank M. Thompson1913–1926Democratic
13Charles L. Cornelius1926Democratic
14L. D. Smith1926–1932Democratic
15Roy H. Beeler[13][14][15]1932–1954Democratic
16George F. McCanless1954–1969Democratic
17David M. Pack1969–1974Democratic
18Milton P. Rice1974Democratic
19Ray A. Ashley1974–1976Democratic
20Eugene Brooks McLemore1976–1978Democratic
21William M. Leech Jr.1978–1984Democratic
22W. J. Michael Cody1984–1988Democratic
23Charles Burson1988–1997Democratic
24John Knox Walkup1997–1999Democratic
25Paul G. Summers1999–2006Democratic
26Robert E. Cooper Jr.2006–2014Democratic
27Herbert Slatery2014–2022Republican
28Jonathan Skrmetti 2022–presentRepublican

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. ↑ "OVERVIEW OF DUTIES OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND REPORTER AS DESCRIBED BY STATUTE" (PDF). Tennessee Courts. 2022.
  6. ↑ "Divisions". www.tn.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  7. ↑ "Office of the Tennessee Attorney General Divisions". Office of the Tennessee Attorney General Divisions.
  8. ↑ Platoff, By Emma (2020-10-21). "Top aide in Texas attorney general's office terminated after accusing Ken Paxton of bribery". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  9. ↑ "Office of the Tennessee Attorney General Website". Office of the Tennessee Attorney General.
  10. ↑ Thornton, Azya (2025-03-06). "Tennessee AG Names Chris Tutor as New Chief of Staff". www.tba.org. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  11. ↑ "Divisions, Office of the Attorney General". Office of the Tennessee Attorney General.
  12. ↑ "Pickle Mansion".
  13. ↑ "The Lawyer's Lawyer: Attorney General Roy H. Beeler | the Knoxville Focus".
  14. ↑ Roy H. Beeler (1950-09-26). "General Ray H. Beeler's Opinion on Segregation".
  15. ↑ "Education: We Must Go Along". Time. 9 October 1950.
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