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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.[1]
| Attorney General of the State of Maryland | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| Style | The Honorable |
| Term length | Four years, no term limit |
| Inaugural holder | James Tilghman 1777 |
| Formation | Maryland Constitution of 1776 (originally) Maryland Constitution of 1864 (most recently) |
| Website | oag.maryland.gov |
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The current attorney general is Anthony Brown, who was elected in 2022 and has served since 2023.[2][3]
Selection and qualifications
editLike 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.[1] As with all statewide offices in Maryland, the attorney general is elected on even-numbered years when there is no election for the president of the United States.
To run for the office, a person must be a citizen of and qualified voter in Maryland and must have lived and practiced law in the state for at least ten years. If the office becomes vacant, the Governor appoints a replacement to serve the remainder of the term.[1]
Functions and responsibilities
editThe attorney general has general charge, supervision and direction of the legal business of the State. The main constitutional duties of the attorney general are to enforce the rule of law and to provide legal counsel and representation to the state of Maryland.
The attorney general is the legal advisor and representative of the governor, the General Assembly, the judiciary, and all state departments, various boards, commissions, officials, and institutions of state government.[4] Notably, the governor cannot employ additional legal counsel without legislative authorization.[1]
The office consists of fourteen Central Divisions and fifty-six state agency client units. The office provides written legal opinions interpreting state law to the General Assembly, the governor, and other state and local elected officials. Administrative rules and regulations promulgated by state agencies, and bills passed by the General Assembly, are reviewed by the office and defended in court when necessary.[5]
Litigation
editThe 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.[1]
The attorney general represents state agencies, officials, and employees in civil lawsuits and defends the constitutionality of state laws when challenged.
Law enforcement
editThe attorney general is charged with the enforcement of various laws and to investigate and prosecute a broad range of criminal acts occurring against and within state government.
Criminal Division
editThe Criminal Division investigates and prosecutes crimes by state employees, fraud against the state, public corruption, gun trafficking, and organized or multi-jurisdictional crimes.[6]
Independent Investigations Division
editSupport to local prosecutors
editThe 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.[1]
Consumer and public protection
editConsumer Protection Division
editThe Consumer Protection Division offers mediation between complainants and businesses, investigates and prosecutes illegal business practices, and registers home builders and health clubs. The division also provides educational materials for Maryland residents.[9]
The attorney general may bring an action to restrain a foreign limited liability company from doing business in this state.[10] The attorney general may obtain a court order prohibiting the guarantor or service contract provider from further violations in this state.[11][12]
Securities and investment protection
editThe Securities Division protects Maryland investors from fraud, and administers the Maryland Securities Act, Franchise Registration and Disclosure Law, and Business Opportunities Sales Act.[5]
Healthcare fraud prevention
editThe Medicaid Fraud and Vulnerable Victims Unit investigates and prosecutes healthcare provider Medicaid fraud, waste, and abuse.[5]
Board and commission memberships
editNotable actions
editTobacco Master Settlement
editMaryland was the eighth state to sue the major tobacco manufacturers over the public health costs of smoking. Under Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr., the state joined the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, under which the four largest cigarette makers agreed to pay Maryland more than $4 billion over 25 years, beginning with an initial payment of $54 million.[17][18]
Litigation against the first Trump administration
editUntil 2017, Maryland law required the attorney general to obtain permission from the governor or General Assembly before suing the federal government, a requirement dating to the office's restoration under the Constitution of 1864. In February 2017, after Governor Larry Hogan did not respond to Attorney General Brian Frosh's request to challenge the Trump administration's travel ban, the General Assembly passed the Maryland Defense Act of 2017, a joint resolution granting the attorney general independent authority to sue the federal government.[19][20] Frosh subsequently joined or filed more than 20 lawsuits against the federal government by late 2018, on subjects including the 2020 census citizenship question, environmental rollbacks, and immigration policy.[21] In District of Columbia and Maryland v. Trump (2017), Frosh and D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine alleged that President Trump's business holdings violated the Constitution's foreign and domestic emoluments clauses; the case was dismissed as moot after Trump left office in 2021.[22]
Archdiocese of Baltimore report
editIn April 2023, following a four-year grand jury investigation begun under Frosh in 2018, Attorney General Anthony Brown released a report finding that 156 clergy and other personnel of the Archdiocese of Baltimore had sexually abused more than 600 children from the 1940s through 2002, and that archdiocese leadership had failed to report allegations or remove abusers.[23][24] In April 2026, the Supreme Court of Maryland ruled that the state could not publicly identify individuals named in the report who had not been indicted.[25]
Litigation against the second Trump administration
editBrown first sued the second Trump administration on January 21, 2025, the day after the president's inauguration, joining a multistate suit challenging an executive order ending birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants.[26] As of May 2026, Brown had filed or joined 62 lawsuits against the administration, typically in coalitions of Democratic state attorneys general, on subjects including federal funding conditions, immigration enforcement, and education policy.[27][28] Critics, including Maryland Republicans, have characterized the volume of litigation as politically motivated.[29]
List of Maryland attorneys general
editColonial period
edit
| 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 | |
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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 | |
 |
Thomas Bordley | 1718–1721 | Annapolis |
 |
Daniel Dulany, Sr. | 1721–1725 | Annapolis |
| Michael Howard | 1725–1734 | Talbot County | |
| Daniel Dulany, Sr. | 1734–1744 | Annapolis | |
 |
Henry Darnall, III | 1744–1756 | Prince George's County |
 |
Stephen Bordley | 1756–1763 | Annapolis |
| Edmund Key | 1764–1766 | Annapolis | |
| Robert Goldsborough, II | 1766–1768 | Dorchester County | |
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Thomas Jennings | 1768–1776 | Annapolis |
Modern attorneys general
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See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Article V. Constitution of Maryland". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ↑ "Maryland State Board of Elections". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ↑ "About the Attorney General". oag.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ↑ "Maryland State Government". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
- 1 2 3 "About the Office of the Attorney General". oag.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ↑ "Criminal Division". oag.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ↑ "Independent Investigations Division". oag.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ↑ "Brown announces indictment of two Anne Arundel police officers after fatal 2023 crash". marylandmatters.org. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ↑ "Consumer Protection Division". oag.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ↑ "2020 Maryland Statutes :: Corporations and Associations :: Title 4A – Limited Liability Company Act :: Subtitle 10 – Foreign Limited Liability Companies :: Section 4A-1008 – Action by Attorney General". Justia Law. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
- ↑ "2020 Maryland Statutes :: Commercial Law :: Title 14 – Miscellaneous Consumer Protection Provisions :: Subtitle 4 – Maryland Service Contracts and Consumer Products Guaranty Act". Justia Law. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
- ↑ "2020 Maryland Statutes :: Commercial Law :: Title 14 – Miscellaneous Consumer Protection Provisions :: Subtitle 4 – Maryland Service Contracts and Consumer Products Guaranty Act :: Section 14-406 – Action by Attorney General". Justia Law. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
- ↑ "Maryland School Safety Subcabinet". umgc.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ↑ "Maryland Cybersecurity Council". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ↑ "Maryland Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention". nohomeforhate.md.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ↑ "Maryland Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Policy & Funding Committee". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ↑ "State Gets More Than $4 Billion in Tobacco Settlement". Capital News Service. November 20, 1998.
- ↑ "What is meant by the "Master Settlement Agreement"?". Maryland Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission.
- ↑ Wiggins, Ovetta (February 15, 2017). "Maryland lawmakers give AG blanket authority to sue Trump administration". The Washington Post.
- ↑ "Frosh goes on the offensive with Md. Defense Act". The Daily Record. October 21, 2018.
- ↑ "Frosh's broad legal power: Partisanship or 'long overdue'?". Capital News Service. October 12, 2018.
- ↑ "Frosh 'Proud' as Supreme Court Ends State's Emoluments Lawsuit Against Trump". Maryland Matters. January 25, 2021.
- ↑ "Maryland attorney general releases report on decades of sex abuse by Catholic priests". NPR. April 5, 2023.
- ↑ "After years of investigation and heartbreak, report detailing 'horrendous' allegations against clergy is released". Maryland Matters. April 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Maryland Supreme Court: State cannot publicize those unindicted for child sex abuse by clergy". Maryland Matters. April 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Maryland joins fight against Trump's order to end birthright citizenship". Capital News Service. January 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Maryland AG Anthony Brown has sued Trump 62 times since 2025". The Baltimore Sun. May 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Brown compiles 'voluminous' record of legal challenges to Trump administration policies". Maryland Matters. November 7, 2025.
- ↑ "Critics call it 'political theater' as AG Brown racks up 100+ actions against Trump admin". WBFF Fox Baltimore.
- ↑ "Maryland Attorneys General, 1657-". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
External links
edit- 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