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Tennessee Attorney General

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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

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]

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

  • 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

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

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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