Difference between revisions of "United States Attorney General"
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Revision as of 16:33, January 18, 2009
The United States Attorney General is a Cabinet member in charge of the Department of Justice and as such, is often considered the chief law enforcement officer of the United States of America. However this has changed in the last decade with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, as many of the bodies traditionally overseen by the Attorney General are now under the purview of the Secretary of Homeland Security. Despite this decrease in power, all prosecutorial power has been retained and the Attorney General supervises all United States Attorneys. The current Attorney General is the Honorable Michael Mukasey who has served since 2007 when he succeeded Alberto Gonzales. By virtue of office, Mukasey is 7th in the presidential line of succession. It is expected that he will not be retained by the Obama Administration and is expected to be replaced with Eric Holder, making him the first African American to become Attorney General.
The position of Attorney General has a long history and was one of the first four Cabinet positions created by George Washington, who appointed Edmund Randolph as the first occupant.
Attorney Generals of the United States
| Name | Term of Office | |
|---|---|---|
| Edwin Meese III | February 25, 1985 | August 12, 1988 |
| Richard Thornburgh | August 12, 1988 | August 15, 1991 |
| William Barr | November 26, 1991 | January 20, 1993 |
| Janet Reno | March 12, 1993 | January 20, 2001 |
| John Ashcroft | February 2, 2001 | February 3, 2005 |
| Alberto Gonzales | February 3, 2005 | September 17, 2007 |
| Michael Mukasey | November 9, 2007 | January 20, 2009? |
| Eric Holder | 2009 (Projected) | |
