United States Attorney-General

Attorney General of the United States of America
Seal of the Department of Justice
Flag of the Attorney General
Incumbent Jeff Sessions since February 9, 2017
United States Department of Justice
Style	The Honorable (formal) Mr. Attorney General (informal)
Member of	Cabinet
Reports to	The President
Seat	Washington, D.C.
Appointer	The President with Senate confirmation
Term length	No fixed term
Constituting instrument	Judiciary Act of 1789
Formation	September 26, 1789
First holder	Edmund Randolph
Succession	Seventh
Deputy	Deputy Attorney General
Salary	$205,700 annually (Executive Schedule I, Level 1)

The United States Attorney General (A.G.) is the head of the United States Department of Justice per 28 U.S.C. § 503, concerned with all legal affairs, and is the chief lawyer of the United States government. In cases of the federal death penalty, the power to seek the death penalty rests with the Attorney General.

Under Article II Sec. 2 of the Constitution the Attorney General is nominated by the President and appointed with the advice and consent of Congress. The Constitution is clear that the Attorney General may be impeached by Congress. As to whether the Attorney General may be summarily removed by the President, no provision of the Constitution grants this power. The decisional law suggests that the President has the power to remove an official engaged in purely executive functions or an official whose duties immediately affect the President's ability to fulfill his constitutional responsibilities, (Bowsher v. Synar, 1986), but provides little or no guidance as to whether the office of Attorney General falls within these general guidelines.

Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 which, besides other things, established the Office of the Attorney General. The original duties of this officer were "to prosecute and conduct all suits in the Supreme Court in which the United States shall be concerned, and to give his or her advice and opinion upon questions of law when required by the President of the United States, or when requested by the heads of any of the departments."

The Department of Justice was established in 1870 to support the Attorney General in the discharge of their responsibilities.

The Attorney General, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Secretary of Defense are generally regarded as the four most important cabinet officials in the United States because of the importance and age of their respective departments.