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Ga. Const. art. V, § III, ¶ IV — Attorney General; duties | Georgia Constitution

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA

ARTICLE V. EXECUTIVE BRANCH

Paragraph IV. Attorney General; duties.

The Attorney General shall act as the legal advisor of the executive department, shall represent the state in the Supreme Court in all capital felonies and in all civil and criminal cases in any court when required by the Governor, and shall perform such other duties as shall be required by law.

1976 Constitution.

- Art. VI, Sec. X, Para. II.

Cross references.

- Office of Attorney General, Ch. 15, T. 45.

Law reviews.

- For annual survey of administrative law, see 38 Mercer L. Rev. 17 (1986). For article, "The Office of the Attorney General of Georgia," see 23 Ga. St. B.J. 176 (1987). For article, "Researching Georgia Law," see 34 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 741 (2015).

JUDICIAL DECISIONS

Legal advice to, and prosecution of, state officers or employees.

- There is no conflict between the attorney general's giving legal advice to officers or employees of the Department of Labor and prosecuting department officers or employees who violate the laws. Such a dual role is authorized. Brown v. State, 177 Ga. App. 284, 339 S.E.2d 332 (1985).

Dual role in representation before Health Planning Review Board.

- The Assistant Attorney General fulfilled a constitutionally and statutorily mandated dual role in representing both the State Health Planning and Development Agency and the Health Planning Review Board, but the Assistant Attorney General's dual role as prosecutor and legal advisor to the Review Board did not taint the opportunity of each party to present its case in full before the Review Board. North Fulton Community Hosp. v. State Health Planning & Dev. Agency, 168 Ga. App. 801, 310 S.E.2d 764 (1983).

Representation of Department of Community Affairs.

- The trial court did not err in granting state senator's plea in bar to charges of making a false writing where there was no criminal charge pending, only the knowledge that public monies allocated for one purpose had been expended for another and an attempt to resolve all matters, civil and criminal, which had occurred between state senator and the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) before the date of the signing of the release and where DCA was represented by the Attorney General in the matter of the DCA grant investigation and release. State v. Dean, 212 Ga. App. 724, 442 S.E.2d 830 (1994).

Authority of Attorney General.

- The Attorney General has the authority under state law to appeal a court decision invalidating a state redistricting statute despite the Governor's order to dismiss the appeal. Because there is constitutional authority for the General Assembly to vest the Attorney General with specific duties and a state statute vested the Attorney General with the authority to litigate in the voting rights action, the Attorney General had the power to seek a final determination on the validity of the State Senate redistricting statute under the federal Voting Rights Act (now 52 U.S.C. § 10301). Perdue v. Baker, 277 Ga. 1, 586 S.E.2d 606 (2003).

Cited in Doe v. Bolton, 319 F. Supp. 1048 (N.D. Ga. 1970).

OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

When Attorney General becomes active participant in capital felony prosecution.

- The Attorney General becomes an active participant in a capital felony prosecution only after an appeal from a conviction for a capital felony has been perfected in the Supreme Court of Georgia. 1968 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 68-171.

Attorney General not authorized to participate in motion for new trial in capital felony prosecution.

- Since the motion for a new trial is considered as a preappellate procedure, then until an appeal is perfected in the Supreme Court of Georgia the Attorney General is not authorized to actively participate in these proceedings. 1968 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 68-171.

Duty of Attorney General to represent two agencies suing each other.

- The Attorney General may not appoint counsel to permit the Georgia Real Estate Commission to sue the Secretary of State and the joint-secretary of the state examining boards in the use of current appropriations made by the legislature among the various licensing boards, because serious ethical problems would result since the Attorney General is the legal advisor to the entire executive department of the state government and would be obligated to represent both agencies involved. 1976 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 76-93.

Use of outside legal representation.

- The Department of Labor may not employ its own general counsel or otherwise provide itself with legal advice or representation other than through the Attorney General. 1984 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 84-48.

Attorneys employed by state agencies.

- Although state agencies may employ persons with legal training and experience to serve as administrative legal service officers, those persons may not provide legal advice or representation to the agency, and no attorney-client relationship or privilege arises between the legal services officer and other agency officers or employees, or the agency itself. 1995 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 95-1.

RESEARCH REFERENCES

Am. Jur. 2d.

- 7 Am. Jur. 2d, Attorney General, § 6 et seq.

C.J.S.

- 7A C.J.S., Attorney General, § 23 et seq.

ALR.

- Right of Attorney General to represent or serve administrative officer or body to exclusion of attorney employed by such officer or body, 137 A.L.R. 818.