The attorney general is one of the most important positions a person can obtain in the U.S. Notably, in the U.S. there are two types of attorney generals. The first is the U.S. attorney general and the second being each individual state’s attorney general. Amongst the two types of attorney generals, in this blog, I will describe how they become an attorney general and what exactly it is they do.
To start with, becoming an attorney general of a state or of the U.S. as a whole are both different processes from each other. For instance, to become an attorney general of a state a different route has to be taken then if picked to become the attorney general for the U.S.. The road to becoming a state attorney general starts with first graduating from law school and having a successful career as a lawyer. So, to be eligible a person must have an active law license and extensive experience.
Then the person must pass a background check, fingerprint scans, and a government test. After all these steps are completed the person can be either appointed or elected as the state’s attorney general (depending on the state). In the state of Texas, the attorney general is elected for a four-year term. Now when it comes to the U.S. attorney general, they have to go through all the same steps, but the last step is different. The U.S. attorney general is appointed by the president and is then confirmed for the position by the senate. Once these spots (for the U.S. attorney general and all of the individual state’s attorney generals) have been filled they can get started on what their job entails.
Furthermore, being an attorney general, whether it is for the U.S. or a specific state, both have a fair amount of responsibilities that come along with the title. For both positions, one of their main tasks while on the job is to safeguard the freedoms of citizens which have been guaranteed by the constitution. Either the state constitution or the U.S. constitution.
One key difference between the U.S. attorney general and the state attorney general is the specifics of what they defend (other than citizens’ rights like previously mentioned). While state attorney general’s focus more on locally dealt issues such as child support laws or fraud cases, the U.S. attorney general focuses on bigger nationwide issues. An example of this can be how the U.S. attorney general works and interprets federal laws, as well as being the head of all federal jail and penal institutions. The legal team at Brandy Austin Law Firm, PLLC has a variety of professional experiences and areas of practice that the firm and its criminal defense lawyers most likely were involved in similar cases. These are just some of the differences between the U.S. attorney general and the state attorney general(s) when it comes to their own occupational duties.
From the two different types of attorney generals, these jobs may be similar in the title but have a few obvious differences from each other. The first being the difference in if they are appointed or elected. Not to mention both of these positions also have varying tasks and responsibilities. After analyzing the main obligations of the two types of attorney generals in the U.S. criminal justice system, the contrast between the two titles is now more apparent than ever.