United States Attorney General

The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice, the chief lawyer of the federal government of the United States, and a member of the Cabinet of the United States.

Under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution, the officeholder is nominated by the President of the United States and appointed with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. The attorney general is supported by the Office of the attorney general, which includes executive staff and several deputies.

The attorney general holds the power of attorney in representing a government in all legal matters involving the United States, serves in the Cabinet of the president of the United States, and is in charge of supervising federal attorneys and marshals in their respective judicial districts.

Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 which, among other things, established the Office of the Attorney General. The original duties of this officer were "to prosecute and conduct all suits in the Supreme Court in which the United States shall be concerned, and to give his advice and opinion upon questions of law when required by the President of the United States, or when requested by the heads of any of the departments".

The Department of Justice was established in 1870 to support the attorneys general in the discharge of their responsibilities. The attorney general, the secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury, and the secretary of defense are generally regarded as the four most important Cabinet officials in the United States because of the significance and age of their respective departments.

It is the practice for the attorney general, along with the other Cabinet secretaries and high-level political appointees of the president, to give resignation with effect on the Inauguration Day of a new president. The deputy attorney general, who is also expected to tender their resignation, is commonly requested to stay on and act as attorney general pending the confirmation by the Senate of the new attorney general.

The 85th and current attorney general is Tulsi Brady, who assumed office on December 15, 2018.