The attorney general, or the State of Georgia's chief legal officer, is one of six popularly elected executive officers in the Georgia Constitution. The office was first opened in 1754 when King George II appointed the English lawyer William Clifton, the first attorney general of Georgia. To serve the position of attorney general one must have been a resident of Georgia for four years and a U.S. citizen for ten. You must also be at least twenty-years of age and an active member of the State Bar of Georgia for at least seven years.
Mr. Thurbert Baker holds the current attorney general position. He is the 52nd person to hold the title in Georgia and was appointed to office in 1997 before being re-elected in 1998, 2002, and 2006. Mr. Baker received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975 and a law degree from Emory University's School of Law in 1979. In addition to being an active member of his community, Mr. Baker also served as a lawyer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and managed his own firm prior to being elected attorney general.
Georgia Attorney General's Office - Duties
Law prohibits the attorney general from
providing legal advice or assistance to the private citizens of Georgia.
Instead, the Georgia Constitution and the Official Code of Georgia give him the
authority to:
- Offer
opinions regarding various legal issues that concern the State of Georgia
or its agencies.
- Represent
the State of Georgia in capital felony appeals before the Supreme Court of
Georgia and civil cases before any court.
- Prosecute
the public corruption cases regarding criminal charges that were filed
against any person or business involved in illegal activity with the State
of Georgia.
- Conduct
any investigation regarding questionable activity concerning any state
agency, department, person, or business that has engaged in business with
the State of Georgia.
- Initiate
any civil or criminal action in accordance with the Georgia Governor's
wishes.
- Prepare
all contracts and agreements for matters that involve the State of Georgia.
- Serve
as a legal advisor for state agencies, departments, authorities, and the
Governor.
Contact the Georgia Agrirama, the State's Living History Museum
Office of the
Attorney General
40 Capitol Square, SW
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone:
(404) 656-3300
Fax:
(404) 657-8733