Texas Attorney General

Texas Attorney General
Post	Texas Attorney General
Body	State of Texas
Incumbent	Ken Paxton
Incumbentsince	2015
Department	Office of the Attorney General of Texas
Style	The Honorable
Seat	Austin, Texas
Appointer	Popular election
Termlength	Four years
Formation	1846
Inaugural	Volney E. Howard

Texas Attorney General The Texas Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Texas, charged with representing the state in civil litigation and advising state officials. The office interacts with the Texas Legislature, the Texas Supreme Court, the United States Department of Justice, and numerous state agencies including the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Transportation. The office frequently appears before the United States Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and engages with national organizations such as the National Association of Attorneys General and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Office and role

The office, located in Austin, Texas, serves as legal counsel to the Governor of Texas, the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, and the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, and issues opinions that can influence actions by the Texas Railroad Commission and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The Attorney General enforces state statutes including the Deceptive Trade Practices Act (Texas), represents Texas in interstate disputes such as those involving the Colorado River Compact or Red River Compact, and intervenes in federal matters affecting Texas before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.

Powers and responsibilities

Statutory and constitutional authorities authorize the Attorney General to initiate civil actions on behalf of the state, seek injunctive relief under statutes like the Texas Health and Safety Code and the Texas Occupations Code, and enforce consumer protection laws under the Texas Business and Commerce Code. The office issues binding civil legal opinions that guide officials in the Texas Legislature and municipal leaders in cities such as Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and El Paso. The Attorney General may also negotiate settlements with national corporations including ExxonMobil, AT&T, Wal-Mart, and Toyota Motor Corporation and coordinate multistate litigation with other states' attorneys general such as those of California, New York, Florida, and Ohio.

History and notable officeholders

Established after Texas's admission to the Union in 1845, the office has been held by figures who later influenced national affairs. Early officeholders like Volney E. Howard served during antebellum disputes involving the Republic of Texas legacy and postwar reconstruction tied to the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Later attorneys general such as James V. Allred and W. A. "Bill" Hobby Jr. moved between state leadership roles and federal appointments, while modern officeholders including John Cornyn, Greg Abbott, and Ken Paxton have used the office as a platform for campaigns for the United States Senate and the Governor of Texas. The office played roles in landmark disputes over civil rights during the eras of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and litigation concerning the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and has confronted energy disputes involving Texas oil industry entities and environmental actions touching the Environmental Protection Agency.

Election and tenure

The Attorney General is elected statewide in partisan elections every four years, sharing the ballot cycle with the Governor of Texas and the Lieutenant Governor of Texas. Candidates typically emerge from political parties such as the Republican Party (United States) and the Texas Democratic Party, and campaigns often involve endorsements from figures like the State Board of Education members, county judges in jurisdictions such as Travis County and Harris County, and national committees including the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee. Impeachment and removal proceedings implicate the Texas Senate and the Texas House of Representatives, while judicial review of the Attorney General’s actions can reach the Supreme Court of the United States and federal appellate courts.

Organizational structure and divisions

The Office of the Attorney General contains divisions including the Civil Litigation Division, the Criminal Investigations Division, the Consumer Protection Division, and the Child Support Division, which coordinate with local district attorneys in counties such as Dallas County, Bexar County, and Tarrant County. Specialized units work on issues tied to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and the Texas Workforce Commission. The office employs solicitors, litigators, investigators, and policy analysts who engage with professional organizations like the State Bar of Texas and training partners including the National Association for Public Defense and the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies.

Major litigation and policy priorities

Recent priorities have included multistate litigation over federal agency regulations such as actions against the Environmental Protection Agency, challenges to federal policies from administrations including the Biden administration and the Trump administration, disputes over election law involving the United States Department of Justice, and litigation concerning border security and immigration implicating the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Customs and Border Protection. The office has pursued consumer fraud actions against corporations like Wells Fargo and Equifax, led litigation on school finance tied to the San Antonio Independent School District cases, and engaged in public-health controversies involving entities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and private healthcare providers including HCA Healthcare. Multistate coalitions coordinated through the National Association of Attorneys General have addressed antitrust matters involving technology companies like Google, Apple Inc., Meta Platforms, Inc., and Microsoft.

Category:Government of Texas