The Attorney General for the District of Columbia is the
chief legal officer
A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department.
In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...
of the
District of Columbia
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.), Logan Circle, Jefferson Memoria ...
. While attorneys general previously were appointed by the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
, District of Columbia voters approved a
charter amendment in 2010 that made the office an elected position beginning in 2015.
History
Charter amendment
In the November 2, 2010, general election, voters approved Charter Amendment IV that made the office of Attorney General an elected position.
Election delays
In July 2012,
the District of Columbia council voted to postpone the election of attorney general to 2018, citing a dispute over how much power the elected attorney general would have. Council Chairman
Phil Mendelson
Philip Heath Mendelson (born November 8, 1952) is an American politician from Washington, D.C. He is currently Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, elected by the Council on June 13, 2012, following the resignation of Kwame R. Br ...
called the vote "an embarrassment."
In September 2013,
Paul Zukerberg filed suit against the District of Columbia Council and the city elections claiming any delay would violate the District charter — which was amended through the 2010 ballot question to provide for the election of the city’s top lawyer.
Attorney General Irv Nathan initially argued that Zukerberg was not suffering any “meaningful hardship” from pushing back the election.
On February 7, 2014, a District of Columbia Superior Court judge ruled that ballots for the April 1 primary could be printed without the Attorney General race.
Zukerberg appealed the ruling, declaring himself a candidate and arguing that he would suffer "irreparable harm" if the election were postponed.
On June 4, 2014, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals overturned the lower court's decision. The Court held "that the Superior Court's interpretation was incorrect as a matter of law" and reversed. The Court ruled that the original language in the Elected Attorney General Act is ambiguous in stating the election "shall be after January 1, 2014," and that the attorney general referendum ratified by a majority of District of Columbia voters in 2010 made it seem as though the election would take place in 2014. On June 13, Zukerberg collected nominating petitions.
2014 election
Joining Zukerberg as candidates for the position were insurance litigator and activist
Lorie Masters, federal lawyer
Edward "Smitty" Smith
Edward H. "Smitty" Smith II (born 1980) is an American lawyer. He was a candidate for Attorney General of the District of Columbia in the 2014 election and a former adviser to the FCC.
Early life and education
Smith was born in Washington, D. ...
, white-collar attorney
Karl Racine
Karl Anthony Racine (born December 14, 1962) is a Haitian-American lawyer and politician. He is the first independently elected Attorney General of the District of Columbia, a position he has held since January 2015. Before that, he was the mana ...
, and legislative policy analyst Lateefah Williams.
Racine secured a plurality victory, winning 36% of the votes cast, and was sworn in as the first elected Attorney General in January 2015.
Previous Attorneys General for the District of Columbia
In 1824, the position of City Attorney was established by resolution of the City Council. When the District of Columbia took on the territorial form of government on July 1, 1871, the position of Attorney for the District of Columbia was established by the First Legislative Assembly.
In 1901, the position title was changed to City Solicitor, and in 1902, the title was changed to Corporation Counsel, which it remained until 2004. In 2004, the office's name was changed from ''Corporation Counsel'' to ''Attorney General'' by Mayor's Order 2004-92, May 26,
making
Robert Spagnoletti
Robert James Spagnoletti is the former Attorney General of the District of Columbia, United States, appointed 2004. He previously served as Council of the District of Columbia, District of Columbia Corporation Counsel, and as an Assistant United ...
the only person to hold both titles.
Appointed after Home Rule
Appointed before Home Rule
City Attorney, 1824-1871
References
External links
District of Columbia Attorney Generalofficial website
Search for articlesat ''ABA Journal''
at
FindLaw
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ttp://law.justia.com/codes/district-of-columbia/ District of Columbia Codeat Law.Justia.com
U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: District of Columbia"at
FindLaw
FindLaw is a business of Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters Corporation ( ) is a Canadian multinational media conglomerate. The company was founded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where it is headquartered at the Bay Adelaide Centre.
Thom ...
District of Columbia BarDistrict of Columbia Attorney General Karl A. Racine profileat
National Association of Attorneys General
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of state and territory attorneys general in the United States.
NAAG is governed by member attorneys general, with a president and executive committee se ...
Press releasesat District of Columbia Attorney General
{{U.S. state attorneys general
1973 establishments in Washington, D.C.