Connecticut Attorney General

Connecticut Attorney General
Seal of the attorney general
Incumbent
William Tong
since January 9, 2019
Department of Law
StyleThe Honorable
Term lengthFour years
No limit
Constituting instrumentConstitution of Connecticut, Executive Law
Formation1897
First holderCharles Phelps
SuccessionElection by joint session of Connecticut General Assembly
Websiteportal.ct.gov/AG

The Connecticut attorney general is the state attorney general of Connecticut.

The attorney general is elected to a four-year term. According to state statute, eligibility for the office requires being "an attorney at law of at least ten years' active practice at the bar of this state."[1] A State Supreme Court ruling from 2010, Bysiewicz v. Dinardo Et Al. (SC 18612) attempted to clarify this statute.[2] The court's ruling sets a de facto 10-year residency requirement for candidates and bars those with no litigation experience, although "litigation experience" was left undefined.[3] These requirements are stronger than other states in the area. In New York, the only requirements are being a resident for five years and at least 30 years old. In Massachusetts, the only requirements are being admitted to the state bar and having US citizenship for five years.[4]

The Office of the Attorney General was officially created by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1897. The current attorney general is William Tong, a Democrat serving since January 9, 2019.

Unlike other states, the Connecticut Attorney General is not responsible for criminal prosecution in Connecticut. In Connecticut the Attorney General generally exercises only civil jurisdiction. The Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of all criminal matters in the State of Connecticut overseen by the Chief State's Attorney.[5]

List of attorneys general

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Parties

  Democratic (12)   Republican (13)

Image Name Town Political party Term
Charles Phelps Vernon Republican 1899–1903
William A. King Windham Republican 1903–1907
Marcus H. Holcomb Southington Republican 1907–1910
John H. Light Norwalk Republican 1910–1915
George E. Hinman Windham Republican 1915–1919
Frank E. Healy Windsor Locks Republican 1919–1927
Benjamin W. Alling New Britain Republican 1927–1931
Warren B. Burrows Groton Republican 1931–1935
Edward J. Daly Hartford Democratic 1935–1937
Charles J. McLaughlin West Hartford Democratic 1937–1938
Dennis P. O'Connor Hartford Democratic 1938–1939
Francis A. Pallotti Hartford Republican 1939–1945
William L. Hadden West Haven Republican 1945–1951
George C. Conway Guilford Republican 1951–1953
William L. Beers New Haven Republican 1953–1955
John J. Bracken Hartford Republican 1955–1959
Albert L. Coles Bridgeport Democratic 1959–1963
Harold M. Mulvey New Haven Democratic 1963–1968
Robert K. Killian Hartford Democratic 1968–1975
Carl R. Ajello Ansonia Democratic 1975–1983
Joe Lieberman Stamford Democratic 1983–1989
Clarine Nardi Riddle New Haven Democratic 1989–1991
Richard Blumenthal Greenwich Democratic 1991–2011
George Jepsen Hartford Democratic 2011–2019
William Tong Stamford Democratic 2019–

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Chapter 35 Attorney General".
  2. ^ "Bysiewicz v. Dinardo (2010)" (PDF).
  3. ^ "Thinking of entering the A.G. sweepstakes? You better read this". 29 November 2017.
  4. ^ "Thinking of entering the A.G. sweepstakes? You better read this". 29 November 2017.
  5. ^ "About Us". CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
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