Attorney General of Idaho
| Idaho Attorney General | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $107,100 |
| 2013 FY Budget: | $18,725,400 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Idaho Constitution, Article IV, Section 1 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
| Lawrence Wasden | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 6, 2018 |
| Last election: | November 4, 2014 |
| Other Idaho Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Controller • Superintendent of Public Instruction • Agriculture Director • Insurance Director • Director of Lands • Labor Director • Public Utilities Commission | |
The Attorney General of Idaho is the state government's chief legal officer and its primary legal counsel. The attorney general represents the state in legal matters, delivers official legal opinions to state agencies and the legislature, and investigates and prosecutes certain types of serious crime.
Current officeholder
The current and 32nd attorney general is Lawrence Wasden, a Republican, who was first elected on November 5, 2002, and re-elected three times, in 2006, 2010 and 2014.
Wasden has had a 22 year career in the Idaho attorney general's office, serving in roles such as chief of staff to the attorney general, deputy chief of staff and deputy attorney general for the Idaho State Tax Commission. He has also served as a deputy prosecuting attorney in Canyon County, ID, and as a prosecuting attorney in Owyhee County, ID.[1]
Authority
The office of attorney general is established in the Idaho Constitution.
Idaho Constitution, Article IV, Section 1
|
The executive department shall consist of a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state controller, state treasurer, attorney general and superintendent of public instruction, each of whom shall hold his office for four years |
Qualifications
Per Article IV, Section 3 of the Idaho Constitution, a candidate for attorney general is required to be:
- at least 30 old
- a member of the Idaho bar in good standing
- a United States citizen
- a resident of Idaho at least two years prior to the election
Idaho Constitution, Article IV, Section 3
|
No person shall be eligible ... to the office of attorney general unless he shall have attained the age of thirty years, and have been admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the state or territory of Idaho, and be in good standing at the time of his election. In addition to the qualifications above described each of the officers named shall be a citizen of the United States and shall have resided within the state or territory two years next preceding his election. |
Elections
Idaho elects attorneys general to four-year terms in federal midterm election years, that is, even years that are not presidential election years. Thus, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 are all election years. Winners take office on the first Monday in the January following an election. Thus, January 3, 2011, and January 5, 2015, are inaugural days.
If two candidates ever tie in the general election, a joint session of the legislature chooses the winner by a majority vote.
2014
- See also: Idaho attorney general election, 2014
| Attorney General of Idaho, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Lawrence Wasden Incumbent |
68% | 289,762 | |
| Democratic | Bruce Bistline | 32% | 136,081 | |
| Total Votes | 425,843 | |||
| Election results via Idaho Secretary of State | ||||
Term limits
- See also: States with gubernatorial term limits
There are no term limits for this office. Out of all of Idaho's state executives, only the Idaho Controller faces term limits.
2010
- See also: Idaho Attorney General election, 2010
- 2010 Race for Attorney General - Republican Primary and General Election
- Lawrence Wasden ran unopposed in both contests
2006
| 2006 Race for Attorney General - Republican Primary[2] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
 Lawrence Wasden (R)
|
73.7% | |||
| Myron Dan Gabbert (R) | 26.3% | |||
| Total votes | 121,122 | |||
| 2006 Race for Attorney General - General Election[3] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Lawrence Wasden (R)
|
61.8% | |||
| Robert A. Wallace (D) | 38.2% | |||
| Total votes | 433,557 | |||
2002
| 2002 Race for Attorney General - Republican Primary[4] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Lawrence Wasden (R)
|
32.2% | |||
| Michael Bogert (R) | 30.5% | |||
| Todd Lakey (R) | 23.5% | |||
| Myron Dan Gabbert (R) | 13.8% | |||
| Total votes | 124,004 | |||
| 2002 Race for Attorney General - General Election[5] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Lawrence Wasden (R)
|
58.1% | |||
| R. Keith Roark (D) | 41.9% | |||
| Total votes | 399,204 | |||
Vacancies
Per Article IV, Section 6 of the Idaho Constitution, the governor appoints a replacement to any state office where a vacancy occurs, subject to the approval of the Idaho Senate. The appointee serves until the next general election.
Duties
The attorney general acts as the state's primary legal counsel; it represents Idaho in legal matters and issues formal legal opinions on policy issues to state agencies and the legislature. The attorney general's office also runs a variety of programs to reduce types of serious crime, including child sexual abuse, Medicaid fraud and others.
Divisions
- Chief Deputy
- Assistant Chief Deputy
- Civil Litigation Division
- Consumer Protection Division
- Contracts and Administrative Law Division
- Criminal Law Division
- Human Services Division
- Intergovernmental and Fiscal Law Division
- Natural Resources Division
- Administration and Budget Division
- Office Statistics
State budget
- See also: Idaho state budget and finances
The budget for the Office of the Attorney General in Fiscal Year 2013 was $18,725,400.[6]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
The salaries of elected executives in Idaho are determined by the Idaho State Legislature. Salaries cannot be increased or decreased during the current terms of affected officers. In 2014, state legislators passed a bill authorizing annual salaries for executives from 2015 through 2018.[7]
2014
In 2014, the attorney general received a salary of $107,100, according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2013
In 2013, the attorney general received a salary of $105,300. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.[9]
2012
In 2012, the attorney general was paid an estimated $103,984. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.
Historical officeholders
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Attorney General of Idaho has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
Recent news
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Contact Information
Address:
Office of the Attorney General
700 West State Street
Boise, ID 83720-0010
Phone: 208-334-2400
Fax: 208-854-8071
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Office of the Idaho Attorney General, "Bio," accessed September 29, 2011
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State Election Division - 2006 Primary Election Results
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State Election Division - 2006 General Election Results
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State Election Division - 2002 Primary Election Results
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State Election Division - 2002 General Election Results
- ↑ Budget Publications, “State of Idaho 2012 Legislative Fiscal Report for Fiscal Year 2013,” 6.17," accessed June20, 2013
- ↑ Idaho State Legislature, "Title 59: Public Officers in General," accessed February 24, 2015
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "SELECTED STATE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICIALS: ANNUAL SALARIES," accessed November 14, 2014
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2013, Table 4.11," accessed February 2, 2014
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