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Attorney General of Louisiana
| Louisiana Attorney General | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $115,000 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $111,790,703 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Louisiana Constitution, Article 4, Section 8 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
Attorney General of Louisiana
Liz Murrill | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 20, 2027 |
| Last election: | November 18, 2023 |
| Other Louisiana Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission | |
The Attorney General of Louisiana is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the Louisiana state government. The attorney general is the chief legal officer of Louisiana. In this capacity, the attorney general is responsible for providing official legal opinions to state agencies, officers and legislators. He may also advise local political subdivisions and their offices. Louisiana elects its attorneys general to four-year terms in years preceding presidential contests and the office is not subject to term limits. [1]
Louisiana has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.
Current officeholder
The current Attorney General of Louisiana is Liz Murrill (R). Murrill assumed office in 2024.
Authority
The office of attorney general is established by Article 4, Section 8 of the Louisiana Constitution. The incumbent is granted the authority to intervene in "any civil action or proceeding," to "assist in the prosecution of any criminal case," and to represent the state in any civil or criminal action.[2]
Louisiana Constitution, Article 4, Section 8
| ... the attorney general shall have authority (1) to institute, prosecute, or intervene in any civil action or proceeding; (2) upon the written request of a district attorney, to advise and assist in the prosecution of any criminal case; and (3) for cause, when authorized by the court which would have original jurisdiction and subject to judicial review, (a) to institute, prosecute, or intervene in any criminal action or proceeding, or (b) to supersede any attorney representing the state in any civil or criminal action. The attorney general shall exercise other powers and perform other duties authorized by this constitution or by law." |
Qualifications
Article 4, Section 2 of the Louisiana Constitution requires that a candidate for attorney general be at least twenty-five years old, a citizen of the United States and Louisiana for the five years preceding election, and permitted to practice law in the state for at least five years.[3]
Louisiana Constitution, Article 4, Section 2
| To be eligible for any statewide elective office, a person, by the date of his qualification as a candidate, shall have attained the age of twenty-five years, be an elector, and have been a citizen of the United States and of this state for at least the preceding five years. In addition, the attorney general shall have been admitted to the practice of law in the state for at least the five years preceding his election. During his tenure in office, a statewide elected official shall hold no other public office except by virtue of his elected office. |
Elections
The Louisiana Constitution prescribes that all statewide executive officials, including the attorney general, be elected for a term of four years, and that their term begin "at noon on the second Monday in January next following the election.[4]Executive officials are elected in years preceding presidential contests (2011, 2015, 2019, etc.).
Term limits
There are no term limits for Louisiana's statewide executive officials other than the governor. Bills have occasionally been introduced into the state legislature to implement such limits, but the latest attempt, in 2010, failed.[5]
2027
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
Past elections
= candidate completed the 
Vacancies
Per Article 4, Section 16 of the Louisiana Constitution, vacancies in the office of attorney general are filled by first assistant attorney general, unless the length of the unexpired term exceeds one year. In that case, the governor calls a special election to fill the vacancy.[10]
Duties
The official website of the Louisiana attorney general gives its mission as "to protect the ... State of Louisiana by providing superior legal representation, and interpretation, professional and effective law enforcement, and public education programs." As chief legal officer of the state, the attorney general is also responsible for providing official legal opinions to state agencies, officers and legislators. He may also advise local political subdivisions and their offices.
As noted above, the attorney general of Louisiana, under certain conditions, intervenes in civil or criminal cases in state courts, and may represent the state itself in civil or criminal actions.[11]
Divisions
As of January 10, 2021, the Louisiana Department of Justice is divided into the follow divisions:
- Civil
- Criminal
- Executive
- Communications
- Gaming
- Louisiana Bureau of Investigation
- Litigation
- Public Protection
- Solicitor General[12]
State budget
- See also: Louisiana state budget and finances
The Office of the Attorney General's budget for Fiscal Year 2025 was $111,790,703.[13]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
The salary of the attorney general, along with the rest of Louisiana's elected executives, is determined by the Louisiana State Legislature. Article IV, Section 4 requires that changes in compensation take effect in the term after they were passed.[14]
Louisiana Constitution, Article IV, Section 4
| Compensation Section 4. Except as otherwise provided by this constitution, the compensation of each statewide elected official shall be provided by law. An increase in the salary of a statewide elected official shall not become effective until the commencement of the subsequent term for that office following the adoption or enactment of the increase. |
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $115,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $115,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2021
In 2021, the attorney general received a salary of $115,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
2020
In 2020, the attorney general received a salary of $110,740, according to the Council of State Governments.[18]
2019
In 2019, the attorney general received a salary of $115,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[19]
2018
In 2018, the attorney general received a salary of $115,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[20]
2017
In 2017, the attorney general received a salary of $115,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[21]
2016
In 2016, the attorney general received a salary of $115,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[22]
2015
In 2015, the attorney general received a salary of $115,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[23]
2014
In 2014, the attorney general earned a salary of $115,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[24]
2013
In 2013, the attorney general's salary remained at $115,000.[25]
2012
In 2012, the attorney general was paid an estimated $115,000. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.
2010
In 2010, the attorney general received a salary of $115,000.[26]
Campaign finance
The Attorney General of Louisiana is responsible for prosecuting all criminal violations of Louisiana's campaign finance laws.[27]
If someone feels a person violated Louisiana's campaign finance laws, the first step is to file a complaint with the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program.[28] It is up to the Supervisory Committee of the Ethics Administration Program on a two-thirds vote to approve all investigations.[29]
Historical officeholders
Since becoming a state in 1812, Louisiana has had 44 attorneys general.
| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | François Xavier Martin | 1812 | 1815 | Democratic Republican |
| 2 | Etienne Mazureau | 1815 | 1817 | Democratic Republican |
| 3 | Louis Moreau-Lislet | 1817 | 1819 | Democratic Republican |
| 4 | Thomas B. Robertson | 1819 | 1821 | Democratic Republican |
| 5 | Etienne Mazureau | 1821 | 1824 | Clay-Adams Republican |
| 6 | Isaac Trimble Preston | 1824 | 1828 | |
| 7 | Alonzo Morphy | 1828 | 1830 | |
| 8 | George Eustis | 1830 | 1833 | |
| 9 | Etienne Mazureau | 1833 | 1841 | Whig |
| 10 | Christian Roselius | 1841 | 1843 | Whig |
| 11 | Isaac Trimble Preston | 1843 | 1846 | |
| 12 | William Augustus Elmore | 1846 | 1850 | |
| 13 | Isaac Johnson | 1850 | 1854 | Democrat |
| 14 | Isaac Edward Morse | 1854 | 1856 | Democrat |
| 15 | E. Warren Moise | 1856 | 1860 | |
| 16 | Thomas J. Semmes | 1860 | 1864 | Democrat |
| 17 | F.S. Goode | 1864 | 1866 | |
| 18 | Andrew S. Herron | 1866 | 1867 | |
| 19 | BL Lynch | 1867 | 1869 | |
| 20 | Simeon Beldon | 1869 | 1873 | |
| 21 | Alexander Pope Field | 1873 | 1876 | |
| 22 | William H. Hunt | 1876 | 1876 | Republican |
| 23 | Hiram R. Steele | 1876 | 1877 | |
| 24 | Horatio Nash Ogden | 1877 | 1880 | |
| 25 | James C. Egan | 1880 | 1884 | |
| 26 | Milton J. Cunningham | 1884 | 1888 | |
| 27 | Walter Henry Rogers | 1888 | 1892 | |
| 28 | Milton J. Cunningham | 1892 | 1900 | |
| 29 | Walter Guion | 1900 | 1912 | Democrat |
| 30 | Ruffin G. Pleasant | 1912 | 1916 | Democrat |
| 31 | Adolphe V. Coco | 1916 | 1924 | |
| 32 | Percy D. Saint | 1924 | 1932 | |
| 33 | Gaston L. Porterlie | 1932 | 1939 | |
| 34 | James B. Ellison | 1939 | 1939 | |
| 35 | Lessley P. Gardiner | 1939 | 1940 | |
| 36 | Eugene Stanley | 1940 | 1944 | |
| 37 | Fred S. LeBlanc | 1944 | 1948 | |
| 38 | Bolivar Edwards Kemp, Jr. | 1948 | 1952 | |
| 39 | Fred S. LeBlanc | 1952 | 1956 | |
| 40 | Jack P.F. Gremillion | 1956 | 1972 | Democrat |
| 41 | William J. Guste | 1972 | 1992 | Democrat |
| 42 | Richard Ieyoub | 1992 | 2004 | Democrat |
| 43 | Charles C. Foti, Jr. | 2004 | 2008 | Democrat |
| 44 | James D. "Buddy" Caldwell | 2008 | 2016 | Democrat/Republican |
| 45 | Jeff Landry | 2016 | 2023 | Republican |
| 46 | Liz Murrill | 2024 | Present | Republican |
Contact information
1885 N. Third Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Phone:
- 225-326-6079
- 225-326-6757
- 877-297-0995
E-mail: constituentservices@ag.louisiana.gov
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Attorney General of Louisiana, "About Us," accessed January 10, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana State Legislature, "Louisiana State Constitution Article 4," accessed January 10, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana State Legislature, "Louisiana State Constitution Article 4," accessed January 10, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana State Legislature, "Louisiana State Constitution Article 4," accessed January 10, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana State Legislature, "2010 Regular Session, House Bill 51 (Rep. Simone Champagne, sponsor)," accessed January 10, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Unofficial Election Results," accessed November 21, 2015
- ↑ Associated Press, ""Louisiana - County Vote Results: Attorney General - General,"" November 21, 2015
- ↑ The Lens, ""Election 2015,"" accessed October 25, 2015
- ↑ New Orleans Times Picayune, ""Attorney General Buddy Caldwell switches to Republican,"" February 3, 2011
- ↑ Louisiana Constitution, Article 4, Section 16," accessed May 17, 2011
- ↑ Louisiana Attorney General's Office, "About Us," accessed January 10, 2021
- ↑ Office of the Attorney General, "Divisions," accessed January 10, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana House of Representatives, "FY 2025 State Budget Tracker," accessed January 17, 2025
- ↑ Louisiana Constitution of 1974, "ARTICLE IV EXECUTIVE BRANCH; COMPENSATION," accessed January 10, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2020," accessed January 10, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2019," accessed January 10, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2018," accessed January 10, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2017," accessed January 10, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed November 24, 2014
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Table 4.11 Selected State Administrative Officials:Annual Salaries," accessed January 23, 2014
- ↑ The Book of States, Council of State Governments 2010," accessed May 17, 2010.
- ↑ Louisiana Legislature, "Louisiana Revised Statutes (Referenced Statute 18:1511.6(A)-(B) Louisiana Revised Statutes)," accessed January 10, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana Legislature, "Louisiana Revised Statutes (Referenced Statute 18:1511.2(A) 1, Louisiana Revised Statutes)," accessed January 10, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana Legislature, "Louisiana Revised Statutes (Referenced Statute 18:1511.4(A), Louisiana Revised Statutes," accessed January 10, 2021
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