The Attorney General of the State of Maryland is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of Maryland, serving as the state's primary prosecutor and legal representative.
The current attorney general is Anthony Brown, who was elected in 2022 and has served since 2023.
Selection and qualifications
Like most state attorneys general, the attorney general is elected by statewide vote every four years. The officeholder serves a four-year term and is eligible for re-election with no term limits. Notably, the governor cannot employ additional legal counsel without legislative authorization.
Litigation
The attorney general and assistant attorneys general represent the state of Maryland in all legal cases. This includes representing the state before the Maryland Circuit Courts, the Appellate Court of Maryland, the Supreme Court of Maryland, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, and in the United States Supreme Court.
Independent Investigations Division
Established by the General Assembly in 2021, the Independent Investigations Division investigates police-involved deaths or critical injuries that occur in Maryland. Since October 1, 2023, the Division has the authority to prosecute involved law enforcement officers.
Support to local prosecutors
The attorney general is charged with providing assistance to local state's attorneys when they require additional resources or specialized expertise, or when directed by the governor or General Assembly.
The attorney general may bring an action to restrain a foreign limited liability company from doing business in this state.
The attorney general may obtain a court order prohibiting the guarantor or service contract provider from further violations in this state.
Securities and investment protection
The Securities Division protects Maryland investors from fraud, and administers the Maryland Securities Act, Franchise Registration and Disclosure Law, and Business Opportunities Sales Act.
List of Maryland attorneys general
Colonial period
{| class="wikitable"
|+Colonial attorneys general of Maryland
!Image
!Name
!Term
!Home
|-
|
|Lt. Richard Smith, Sr.
|1657–1660/61
|Calvert County
|-
|
|Capt. Thomas Manning
|1660/61–1666
|Calvert County
|-
|
|Col. William Calvert
|1666–1670
|St. Mary's City
|-
|
|Col. Vincent Lowe
|1670–1676
|Talbot County
|-
|
|Kenelm Cheseldyne
|1676–1681
|St. Mary's City
|-
|
|Thomas Burford
|1681–1686/87
|Charles County
|-
|
|Robert Carvile
|1688
|St. Mary's City
|-
|frameless|133x133px
|Charles Carroll
|1688–1689
|St. Mary's City & Anne Arundel County
|-
|
|Col. George Plater, I
|1691–1692
|St. Mary's County
|-
|
|Edward Wynn
|1692
|St. Mary's County
|-
|
|Col. George Plater, I
|1692–1698
|St. Mary's County
|-
|
|Maj. William Dent
|1698–1704
|Charles County
|-
|
|Col. William Bladen
|1704–1718
|Annapolis
|-
|frameless|121x121px
|Thomas Bordley
|1718–1721
|Annapolis
|-
|frameless|122x122px
|Daniel Dulany, Sr.
|1721–1725
|Annapolis
|-
|
|Michael Howard
|1725–1734
|Talbot County
|-
|
|Daniel Dulany, Sr.
|1734–1744
|Annapolis
|-
|frameless|122x122px
|Henry Darnall, III
|1744–1756
|Prince George's County
|-
|frameless|119x119px
|Stephen Bordley
|1756–1763
|Annapolis
|-
|
|Edmund Key
|1764–1766
|Annapolis
|-
|
|Robert Goldsborough, II
|1766–1768
|Dorchester County
|-
|frameless|143x143px
|Thomas Jennings
|1768–1776
|Annapolis
|}
Modern attorneys general
{| class=wikitable
|+ Modern attorneys general of Maryland
!Image!!Name!!From!!To!!Party!!Law school
|-
|
|James Tilghman||1777||1778||
|-
|60px
|Luther Martin||1778||1805||
|-
|60px
|William Pinkney||1805||1806|| Democratic-Republican
|-
|
|John Thomson Mason||1806||1806||
|-
|
|John Johnson, Sr.||1806||1811||
|-
|
|John Montgomery||1811||1818|| Democratic-Republican
|-
|60px
|Luther Martin||1818||1822||
|-
|60px
|Thomas Beale Dorsey||1822||1824|| Democratic-Republican
|-
|
|Thomas Kell||1824||1827||
|-
|60px
|Roger B. Taney||1827||1831||Democratic
|-
|60px
|Josiah Bayly||1831||1846||
|-
|
|George R. Richardson||1846||1851||
|-
|
|Robert J. Brent||1851||1864||Whig
|-
|60px
|Alexander Randall||1864||1867||Whig
|-
|60px
|Isaac Dashiell Jones||1867||1871||Whig
|-
|60px
|Andrew K. Syester||1871||1875||Whig
|-
|60px
|Charles J. M. Gwinn||1875||1883||Democratic
|-
|60px
|Charles Boyle Roberts||1883||1887||Democratic
|-
|60px
|William Pinkney Whyte||1887||1891||Democratic||Harvard Law School
|-
|60px
|John Prentiss Poe||1891||1895||Democratic
|-
|60px
|Harry M. Clabaugh||1895||1899||Republican||University of Maryland School of Law
|-
|60px
|George Riggs Gaither Jr.||1899||1899||Republican
|-
|60px
|Isidor Rayner||1899||1903||Democratic||University of Virginia School of Law
|-
|60px
|William Shepard Bryan Jr.||1903||1907||Democratic||University of Virginia School of Law
|-
|60px
|Isaac Lobe Straus||1907||1911||Democratic||University of Maryland School of Law
|-
|60px
|Edgar Allan Poe||1911||1915||Democratic||University of Maryland School of Law
|-
|60px
|Albert Ritchie||1915||1919||Democratic||University of Maryland School of Law
|-
|
|Ogle Marbury (acting)||1918||1919|| Democrat||University of Maryland School of Law
|-
|60px
|Alexander Armstrong||1919||1923||Republican||University of Pennsylvania Law School
|-
|60px
|Thomas H. Robinson||1923||1930||Democratic||
|-
|60px
|William Preston Lane Jr.||1930||1934||Democratic||University of Virginia School of Law
|-
|60px
|Herbert O'Conor||1934||1938||Democratic||University of Maryland School of Law
|-
|
|William C. Walsh||1938||1945||Democratic||Catholic University School of Law
|-
|
|William Curran||1945||1946||Democratic||University of Maryland School of Law
|-
|
|Hall Hammond||1946||1952||Democratic||University of Maryland School of Law
|-
|
|Edward D. E. Rollins||1952||1954||Republican||University of Maryland School of Law
|-
|
|C. Ferdinand Sybert||1954||1961||Democratic||University of Maryland School of Law
|-
|
|Thomas B. Finan||1961||1966||Democratic||University of Maryland School of Law
|-
|
|Robert C. Murphy||1966||1966||Democratic||University of Maryland School of Law
|-
|
|Francis B. Burch||1966||1978||Democratic||Yale Law School
|-
|
|Jon F. Oster||1979||1979||Democratic||University of Maryland School of Law
|-
|
|George A. Nilson||1979||1979||Democratic||Yale Law School
|-
|
|Stephen H. Sachs||1979||1987||Democratic||Yale Law School
|-
|60px
|J. Joseph Curran Jr.||1987||2007||Democratic||University of Baltimore School of Law
|-
|60px
|Doug Gansler||2007||2015||Democratic||University of Virginia School of Law
|-
|60px
|Brian Frosh||2015||2023||Democratic||Columbia Law School
|-
|60px
|Anthony Brown||2023|| ||Democratic||Harvard Law School
|}
See also
- Government of Maryland
- Law of Maryland
References
External links
- Maryland Attorney General official website
- About the office and list of Attorneys General of Maryland, from the Maryland Archives.
- Maryland Attorney General articles at ABA Journal
- News and Commentary at FindLaw
- Maryland Code at Law.Justia.com
- U.S. Supreme Court Opinions – "Cases with title containing: State of Maryland" at FindLaw
- Maryland State Bar Association
- Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brownoa profile at National Association of Attorneys General
- Press releases at Maryland Attorney General