Tennessee Attorney General

The Tennessee attorney general (officially, attorney general and reporter) 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(25),-111(1). 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 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.

Solicitor General - Matt Rice 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.

Chief of Staff - Chris Tutor 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.

Chief Operating Officer - Kelly Smith 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.

List of attorneys general

# Image Name Tenure Party 1 George Shall Yerger 1831–1839Whig 2 Return J. Meigs III 1839Democratic 3 West Hughes Humphreys 1839–1851Democratic 4 William Graham Swan 1851–1854Democratic 5 John L. T. Sneed 1854–1859Whig 6 John W. Head 1859–1862Democratic – Horace Maynard 1864Unconditional Union 7 Thomas H. Coldwell 1865–1870 Republican 8 Joseph Brown Heiskell 1870–1878Democratic 9 Benjamin J. Lea 1878–1886Democratic 10 George W. Pickle 1886–1902Democratic 11 Charles T. Cates Jr. 1902–1913 Democratic 12 Frank M. Thompson 1913–1926 Democratic 13 Charles L. Cornelius1926Democratic 14 L. D. Smith 1926–1932Democratic 15 Roy H. Beeler 1932–1954Democratic 16 George F. McCanless 1954–1969Democratic 17 David M. Pack 1969–1974Democratic 18 Milton P. Rice 1974Democratic 19 Ray A. Ashley 1974–1976Democratic 20 Eugene Brooks McLemore 1976–1978Democratic 21 William M. Leech Jr. 1978–1984Democratic 22 W. J. Michael Cody 1984–1988Democratic 23 Charles Burson 1988–1997Democratic 24 John Knox Walkup 1997–1999Democratic 25 Paul G. Summers 1999–2006Democratic 26 Robert E. Cooper Jr. 2006–2014Democratic 27 Herbert Slatery2014–2022Republican 28 Jonathan Skrmetti 2022–presentRepublican

Tennessee Attorney General

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