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| Attorney General of Nevada | |
|---|---|
| Post | Attorney General of Nevada |
| Body | State of Nevada |
| Incumbent | Aaron D. Ford |
| Incumbentsince | January 7, 2019 |
| Department | Office of the Attorney General |
| Style | The Honorable |
| Seat | Carson City, Nevada |
| Termlength | Four years, renewable once |
| Formation | 1864 |
| First | C. E. Waters |
Attorney General of Nevada The Attorney General of Nevada is the chief legal officer of the State of Nevada, responsible for representing the State before the Nevada Supreme Court, advocating in civil and criminal matters, and advising the Nevada Legislature and the Governor of Nevada. The office operates from Carson City and interacts frequently with federal institutions such as the United States Department of Justice, regional entities like the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, and national organizations including the National Association of Attorneys General.
The Office of the Attorney General in Nevada supervises statewide litigation, issues legal opinions to state officials, and enforces consumer protection and civil rights laws; it collaborates with the Nevada Department of Public Safety, the Nevada Gaming Control Board, the Nevada System of Higher Education, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The attorney general represents the state in appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, files amicus briefs in matters involving the United States Supreme Court, and participates in multistate litigation coordinated through the Multistate Attorneys General Litigation Committee and the Conference of Western Attorneys General.
Nevada established the office upon statehood in 1864 during the administration of President Abraham Lincoln and the territorial reorganization that followed the American Civil War. Early attorneys general, serving alongside governors such as Henry G. Blasdel and James W. Nye, dealt with legal questions tied to mining disputes, conflicts involving the Comstock Lode, and issues arising from the expansion of the Central Pacific Railroad and the Transcontinental Railroad. Twentieth-century incumbents navigated Prohibition-era enforcement related to the Volstead Act, wartime legal matters during World War II affecting Hoover Dam administration, and late-century regulatory shifts involving the Nevada Gaming Control Board and federal statutes like the Clean Air Act.
Statutory authority grants the attorney general power to prosecute certain categories of crime in conjunction with county district attorneys, to defend state statutes in litigation, and to provide written legal opinions to statewide elected officials including the Lieutenant Governor of Nevada, the Secretary of State of Nevada, and members of the Nevada Legislature. The office enforces consumer protection statutes such as the Nevada Deceptive Trade Practices Act, pursues antitrust cases referencing federal law like the Sherman Antitrust Act, and litigates on public-interest matters including civil forfeiture, environmental claims under the National Environmental Policy Act, and voting-rights disputes invoking the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The attorney general is elected by statewide popular vote to a four-year term coinciding with other statewide officers such as the Governor of Nevada and the Secretary of State of Nevada, subject to term limits established in state constitutional amendments and statutes influenced by reform movements during the late 20th century. Vacancies have been filled historically by gubernatorial appointment—by governors like Bob Miller and Kenny Guinn—with appointees sometimes standing for election thereafter; the officeholder may be subject to impeachment by the Nevada Assembly and removal through processes involving the Nevada Supreme Court in extreme cases.
The Office comprises divisions including the Criminal Prosecutions Division, Civil Litigation Division, Consumer Protection Division, and the Special Litigation Unit; each division coordinates with federal partners such as the Department of Homeland Security and state agencies like the Nevada Department of Corrections. Specialized teams handle gaming enforcement in cooperation with the Nevada Gaming Commission, environmental litigation interfacing with the Environmental Protection Agency, and public integrity matters liaising with the United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
Notable officeholders include former attorneys general who later held higher office or national roles such as Frankie Sue Del Papa (Nevada’s first female attorney general), Brian Sandoval (later Governor of Nevada and United States District Judge nominee who also served as Governor), and Catherine Cortez Masto (who served as Attorney General before election to the United States Senate). Other prominent figures include Milo Hill and George Chanos who engaged in major consumer-protection and gaming-related litigation, and attorneys general involved in national coalitions against opioid manufacturers and technology companies leading suits coordinated with the National Association of Attorneys General.
A chronological list of Nevada attorneys general begins with early officeholders such as C. E. Waters and continues through contemporary figures including Frankie Sue Del Papa, Brian Sandoval, Catherine Cortez Masto, and the current incumbent, Aaron D. Ford. The roster reflects legal trends from 19th-century territorial law tied to the Comstock Lode era through modern litigation involving federal statutes like the Affordable Care Act and multistate settlements coordinated with the United States Department of Justice.
Category:State constitutional officers of Nevada Category:Law of Nevada Category:Attorneys general of U.S. states