About NAAG

About NAAG

About the Association

The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) was founded in 1907 to help Attorneys General fulfill the responsibilities of their office and to assist in the delivery of high quality legal services to the states and territorial jurisdictions. NAAG’s mission is: "To facilitate interaction among Attorneys General as peers. To facilitate the enhanced performance of Attorneys General and their staffs." NAAG fosters an environment of "cooperative leadership," helping Attorneys General respond effectively - individually and collectively - to emerging state and federal issues.

The Association fosters interstate cooperation on legal and law enforcement issues, conducts policy research and analysis of issues, and facilitates communication between the states’ chief legal officers and all levels of government. The Association’s members are the Attorneys General of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and the chief legal officers of the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico (Secretary of Justice) and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. The U.S. Attorney General is an honorary member.

The Attorneys General 

The Attorney General is popularly elected in 43 states, as well as in Guam, and is appointed by the governor in five states (Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Wyoming) and in the four jurisdictions of American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. In Maine, the Attorney General is selected by secret ballot of the legislature and in Tennessee, by the state Supreme Court. In the District of Columbia, the Mayor appoints the Attorney General whose powers and duties are similar to those of the Attorneys General of the states and jurisdictions.

As chief legal officers of the states, commonwealths, and territories of the United States, the Attorneys General serve as counselors to state government agencies and legislatures, and as representatives of the public interest. It is often said that Attorneys General occupy the intersection of law and public policy, dealing in areas as diverse as child support enforcement, drug policy, and environmental protection.

In many areas traditionally considered the exclusive responsibility of the federal government, the Attorneys General now share enforcement authority. Indeed, a major trend of the last several years has been the increasingly cooperative working relationships the Attorneys General have forged with their federal counterparts, particularly in the areas of trade regulation, environmental enforcement, and criminal justice.

Typical powers of the Attorneys General, while varying from one jurisdiction to the next due to statutory and constitutional mandates, now include the authority to: institute civil suits; represent state agencies; defend and/or challenge the constitutionality of legislative or administrative actions; enforce open meetings and records laws; revoke corporate charters; enforce antitrust prohibitions against monopolistic enterprises; enforce air, water pollution, and hazardous waste laws; in a majority of states, handle criminal appeals and serious state-wide criminal prosecutions; intervene in public utility rate cases; and enforce the provisions of charitable trusts.

Goals of the Association 

NAAG’s goals are to:

  • Identify, produce, and disseminate key information related to the independence, scope, and management of the office of the Attorney General;
  • Create and maintain a collegial network among the chief legal officers of the states and jurisdictions by providing a meeting ground for cooperation and learning;
  • Promote cooperation and coordination on interstate legal matters to foster an even more responsive and efficient legal system for state citizens;
  • Advise Attorneys General and their staffs of significant legal developments and emerging trends occurring in the states and federal government through information exchange, programs, and training;
  • Increase citizen understanding of the law and law enforcement's role to ensure both protection of individual rights and compliance with the law;
  • Influence the development of national and state legal policy through such means as Supreme Court advocacy training and dialogue with other national, state, and local policy makers and pursue policy objectives as determined by the membership.

The Association elects its officers yearly, through geographical rotation by region. Election of the four officers - President, President-Elect, Vice President, and Immediate Past President - takes place at the annual NAAG Summer Meeting. The President appoints all standing and special committee chairs. Committees are charged with studying all substantive matters within their jurisdiction and recommending policy positions and other matters to the Attorneys General for action by the full Association.

The Executive Committee 

The Executive Committee of the Association is charged with the management of Association operations and yearly approval of a program plan of goals, objectives, and activities to guide its work. The Executive Committee comprises the four NAAG officers, four regional delegates, and two presidential appointees.

NAAG holds a management issues meeting for all Attorneys General each December and two full membership meetings each Spring and Summer where the Attorneys General conduct the business of the Association, including the consideration and adoption of NAAG policy positions and the holding of meetings of its committees. Where an interim position is necessary, the Executive Committee may take action. In addition, issues may be raised, discussed, and studied at seminars and other Committee and Subcommittee meetings and may be referred to the Executive Committee and the full Association for formal consideration.

red logo