Does the US Attorney General work for the president?
Asked by: Prof. Gia Feest | Last update: August 30, 2025Score: 5/5 (65 votes)
The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the United States on all legal matters. The attorney general is also a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States and a member of the United States National Security Council.
Does the attorney general work for the president?
The Attorney General represents the United States in legal matters generally and gives advice and opinions to the President and to the heads of the executive departments of the Government when so requested.
What are the three main job duties of the U.S. attorney general?
Under 28 U.S.C. § 547, the role of the United States Attorney is to: (1) prosecute criminal cases brought by the federal government; (2) prosecute or defend civil cases where the United States is a party; and (3) collect debts owed to the federal government when administrative agencies are unable to do so.
Can the president fire the U.S. attorney general?
The new President may elect to keep or remove any U.S. attorney. They are traditionally replaced, collectively, only at the start of a new White House administration.
What power does the attorney general have in the USA?
Attorney General Powers and Responsibilities
Acting as public advocates in areas such as child support enforcement, consumer protections, antitrust and utility regulation. Proposing legislation. Enforcing federal and state environmental laws. Representing the state and state agencies before the state and federal courts.
Trump Justice Department fires officials who investigated Trump
Who is more powerful, US Attorney or Attorney General?
United States Attorneys serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General of the United States of America.
Who is above the US Attorney General?
The department is headed by the U.S. attorney general, who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet.
What can't the president do?
- make laws.
- declare war.
- decide how federal money will be spent.
- interpret laws.
- choose Cabinet members or Supreme Court Justices without Senate approval.
Is the Attorney General above the FBI?
Within the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI is responsible to the attorney general, and it reports its findings to U.S. Attorneys across the country. The FBI's intelligence activities are overseen by the Director of National Intelligence.
Does Congress have to approve the Attorney General?
The President shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, an Attorney General of the United States. The Attorney General is the head of the Department of Justice.
Who is the attorney general under Biden?
President-elect Joe Biden selected Garland for the position of United States attorney general, with news of the selection coming on January 6, 2021. He was formally nominated by Biden on January 20, after Biden took office.
Who is the boss of the US attorney?
U.S. attorneys are appointed by the president of the United States for a term of four years, with appointments subject to confirmation by the Senate.
Who can the president remove from power?
The holding in Myers boils down to the proposition that the Constitution endows the President with an illimitable power to remove all officers in whose appointment he has participated, with the exception of federal judges.
What can override the president?
A veto can only be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House. The bottom half of the reverse side of S. 518 shows the House of Representative's attempt to override the veto. This occurred May 23, 1973—the day after the Senate vote.
Who can override the governor?
If the Governor vetoes the bill, a two-thirds vote in each house is needed to override the veto.
Who has the power to declare war?
The Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war. Congress has declared war on 11 occasions, including its first declaration of war with Great Britain in 1812. Congress approved its last formal declaration of war during World War II.
How powerful is U.S. Attorney General?
The Attorney General represents the United States in legal matters generally and gives advice and opinions to the President and to the heads of the executive departments of the Government when so requested. In matters of exceptional gravity or importance the Attorney General appears in person before the Supreme Court.
Who has more authority, FBI or CIA?
Great question. Lots of people get the CIA and FBI confused. The CIA's mission is to collect foreign intelligence overseas, where as the FBI addresses domestic issues. The CIA does not have law enforcement authority and does not collect information concerning the domestic activities of American citizens.
Who investigates corrupt FBI agents?
The Public Integrity Section (PIN) oversees the investigation and prosecution of all federal crimes affecting government integrity, including bribery of public officials, election crimes, and other related offenses.
Who controls the US Attorney General?
The attorney general is the lawyer appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate to lead the Department of Justice, known as the DOJ.
Do you need a law degree to be attorney general?
By tradition, persons appointed to the position of Attorney-General have been lawyers. Only two former attorneys-general have not been lawyers, most recently Dr Michael Cullen who held the post in 2005, and again from 2006.
Who votes for attorney general?
The most prevalent method of selecting a state's attorney general is by popular election. 43 states have an elected attorney general. Elected attorneys general serve a four-year term, except in Vermont, where the term is two years. Seven states do not popularly elect an attorney general.