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| Attorney General Jerry Brown | |
|---|---|
| Name | Jerry Brown |
| Office | Attorney General of California |
| Term start | 2007 |
| Term end | 2011 |
| Predecessor | Bill Lockyer |
| Successor | Kamala Harris |
| Birth date | April 7, 1938 |
| Birth place | San Francisco, California |
| Party | Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley; Yale Law School |
Attorney General Jerry Brown Jerry Brown served as the 34th Attorney General of California from 2007 to 2011, having held prior elective offices including Governor of California and Secretary of State of California. A prominent figure in California Democratic Party politics and national debates, Brown's tenure as Attorney General intersected with litigation involving the Bush v. Gore aftermath, United States Department of Justice actions, and high-profile state challenges to federal policies. His career connected him to institutions such as the University of California, Berkeley, Yale Law School, the California State Legislature, and the California Supreme Court through litigation and policy disputes.
Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. was born in San Francisco, California into a political family; his father, Pat Brown, served as Governor of California, and his mother, Rosa Parks Brown, was active in civic affairs. Brown attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory before enrolling at the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied Philosophy and became involved with student organizations and the Free Speech Movement. He later attended Yale Law School, earning a law degree and serving on law journals while forming connections with later legal and political figures, including alumni who would become judges on the United States Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Brown's early legal and public-service career included a stint as Alameda County district attorney's office intern, work with the California Department of Justice as a deputy attorney general, and a term in the California State Assembly. He was elected Secretary of State of California and subsequently served two nonconsecutive tenures as Governor of California (1975–1983, 2011–2019). During these years he interacted with legal institutions such as the California Court of Appeal, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and federal agencies including the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency in policy disputes over taxation, environmental regulation, and state sovereignty. Brown's network included associations with figures like Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, and jurists later appointed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In 2006 Brown entered the race to succeed Bill Lockyer as Attorney General, campaigning against Chuck Poochigian and other candidates in a contest that featured debates over criminal justice, civil rights, and environmental enforcement. The campaign mobilized support from unions such as the California Teachers Association and advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Sierra Club. Brown's platform emphasized consumer protection, coordination with prosecutors in counties like Los Angeles County and San Diego County, and litigation against federal policies under the George W. Bush administration. The election drew attention from national figures, with endorsements from leaders in the Democratic National Committee, state legislators in the California State Senate, and newspaper editorial boards such as the Los Angeles Times.
As Attorney General, Brown oversaw the California Department of Justice and its divisions, including the Public Rights Division, Criminal Division, and Civil Law Division, coordinating with district attorneys in jurisdictions such as Sacramento County and Orange County. His office defended state laws before the California Supreme Court and litigated in federal venues like the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. High-profile matters included enforcement actions regarding the California Environmental Protection Agency regulations, challenges to directives from the United States Department of Homeland Security, and interventions in cases involving cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Brown also worked with state attorneys general such as Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo on multi-state litigation.
Brown launched initiatives targeting mortgage fraud in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and pursued consumer protection suits against corporations like Countrywide Financial and Bank of America. He joined multi-state actions opposing federal policies on immigration enforcement linked to the Secure Communities program and sued the United States Environmental Protection Agency over waivers and regulatory authority involving California Air Resources Board standards. Brown's office defended state ballot measures before the Supreme Court of California and led litigation challenging aspects of the No Child Left Behind Act in concert with education stakeholders including the California Teachers Association and municipal school districts such as the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Brown's tenure drew criticism from opponents including criminal justice advocates and prosecutorial associations like the California District Attorneys Association over positions on sentencing and law enforcement resources. Civil liberties organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union both lauded and criticized his office for approaches to privacy, surveillance, and immigration litigation. Conservative figures and commentators at outlets like Fox News and the Wall Street Journal accused Brown of politicizing the office through selective enforcement, while progressive critics faulted certain settlements with corporations such as Morgan Stanley and Wachovia as insufficient. Oversight issues prompted inquiries by state inspectors and attention from legislators in the California State Legislature.
After serving as Attorney General, Brown returned to elected office as Governor of California in 2011, succeeding Arnold Schwarzenegger and later engaging with national leaders including Barack Obama and international figures at forums like the United Nations Climate Change Conference. His legacy as Attorney General is cited in discussions of state-led litigation against federal policies, coordination among state attorneys general such as Eric Holder's Department of Justice counterparts, and precedents affecting the California Environmental Quality Act and consumer protection enforcement. Historians and political scientists referencing archives at institutions like the Bancroft Library and publications in the California Law Review analyze his record within the broader narrative of California politics in the early 21st century.
Category:California Attorneys General