What's the difference between Solicitor General and Attorney General?
Asked by: Prof. Marjorie Hintz | Last update: August 13, 2025Score: 4.7/5 (27 votes)
What is the difference between US Attorney General and US Solicitor General?
Lesson Summary. The U.S. Solicitor General works for the Attorney General, who is in charge of legal representation for the United States' executive branch. The Solicitor General represents the United States in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, unless the Attorney General wants to.
How powerful is the Solicitor General?
The United States is involved in approximately two-thirds of all the cases the U.S. Supreme Court decides on the merits each year. The Solicitor General determines the cases in which Supreme Court review will be sought by the government and the positions the government will take before the Court.
Who is the highest lawyer in the federal government?
United States Attorney General. The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The Attorney General acts as the principal legal advisor to the President of the United States on all legal matters.
What is the most powerful lawyer position?
- Attorney General. The Attorney General is the highest-ranking legal officer in the United States Department of Justice. ...
- Solicitor General. ...
- Corporate Counsel. ...
- Big Law Partner. ...
- Judges. ...
- Public Interest Lawyers. ...
- Criminal Defense Attorneys. ...
- Law Firm Managing Partner.
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What is the highest legal authority in the United States government?
The U.S. Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. Article III of the U.S. Constitution created the Supreme Court and authorized Congress to pass laws establishing a system of lower courts.
Who is below the US Attorney General?
Directly below and connected to the Attorney General is the Deputy Attorney General. Directly under the Solicitor General is the Office of the Solicitor General.
How much does a Solicitor General make in the United States?
The average solicitor general gross salary in United States is $192,247 or an equivalent hourly rate of $92. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $14,918.
Who does the US Attorney General report to?
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.
Does the Solicitor General report to the Attorney General?
The Solicitor General is of course an Executive Branch officer, reporting to the Attorney General, and ultimately to the President, in whom our Constitution vests all of the Executive power of the United States.
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 argues in front of the Supreme Court?
An attorney for each side of a case will have an opportunity to make a presentation to the Court and answer questions posed by the Justices. Prior to the argument, each side has submitted a legal brief—a written legal argument outlining each party's points of law.
Is the attorney general higher than the Supreme Court?
United States Supreme Court decisions directly affect attorney general offices' ability to enforce state laws and defend government officials' conduct. Attorney general offices therefore play an active role before the Supreme Court.
What is the difference between solicitor and attorney?
The term Solicitor is mainly used in UK, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and some parts of the US. A Lawyer can give legal advice and can represent individuals or entities in legal matters. A Solicitor deals directly with the public or a corporation and can advise legally.
Is Solicitor General higher than Attorney General?
The Solicitor General represents the U.S. Government ONLY at the Supreme Court, where the federal government is a party. One represents a government agency (the Dept. of Justice), the other represents the federal government's position. The Attorney General is the immediate supervisor of the Solicitor General.
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 has power over the DOJ?
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. Merrick Garland has served as attorney general since March 2021 to 2025. The acting attorney general is James McHenry.
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.
Who has more power, Congress or the President?
Congress is the central law-making body to which the executive and judicial branches respond. Congress writes and debates the laws that govern the United States, and it can override presidential vetoes.
What branch declares war?
About Declarations of War by Congress. 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.
What is the rule of four?
The “rule of four” is the Supreme Court's practice of granting a petition for review only if there are at least four votes to do so. The rule is an unwritten internal one; it is not dictated by any law or the Constitution.