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Attorney General of the District of Columbia
Seal of the Office of the Attorney General
Incumbent Karl Racine since 2 January 2015
Term length	Four years, renewable
Formation	1973
Website	Office of the Attorney General

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The Attorney General for the District of Columbia is the chief legal officer of the District of Columbia. Previously appointed by the Mayor, District of Columbia voters approved a charter amendment in 2010 which made the office an elected position beginning in 2015.

Charter amendment

In the November 2, 2010 general election, voters approved Charter Amendment IV that made the office of Attorney General an elected position.

Charter Amendment IV

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	90,316	75.78
No	28,868	24.22
Total votes	119,184	100.00
Registered voters/turnout	453,014	26.30

Election delays

In July 2012, the District of Columbia council voted to postpone the election of attorney general to 2018, citing a dispute over how much power the elected attorney general would have. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson called the vote "an embarrassment."

In September 2013, Paul Zukerberg filed suit against the District of Columbia Council and the city elections claiming any delay would violate the District charter — which was amended through the 2010 ballot question to provide for the election of the city’s top lawyer. Attorney General Irv Nathan initially argued that Zukerberg was not suffering any “meaningful hardship” from pushing back the election.

On February 7, 2014, a District of Columbia Superior Court judge ruled that ballots for the April 1 primary could be printed without the Attorney General race. Zukerberg appealed the ruling, declaring himself a candidate and arguing that he would suffer "irreparable harm" if the election were postponed.

On June 4, 2014, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals overturned the lower court's decision. The Court held "that the Superior Court's interpretation was incorrect as a matter of law" and reversed. The Court ruled that the original language in the Elected Attorney General Act is ambiguous in stating the election "shall be after January 1, 2014," and that the attorney general referendum ratified by a majority of District of Columbia voters in 2010 made it seem as though the election would take place in 2014. On June 13, Zukerberg collected nominating petitions.

2014 election

Joining Zukerberg as candidates for the position were insurance litigator and activist Lorie Masters, federal lawyer Edward "Smitty" Smith, white-collar attorney Karl Racine, and legislative policy analyst Lateefah Williams. Racine secured a plurality victory, winning 36% of the votes cast, and was sworn in as the first elected Attorney General in January 2015.

Previous Attorneys General for the District of Columbia

Before 1899, the position was "Attorney for the District of Columbia". By 1905, it had become "Corporation Counsel". In 2004, the office's name was changed from "Corporation Counsel" to "Attorney General" by Mayor's Order 2004-92, May 26, making Spagnoletti the only person ever to hold both titles.

After Home Rule

Before Home Rule

References

1. "General Election 2010". District of Columbia Board of Elections.
2. "The Elected Attorney General Charter Amendment" (PDF). District of Columbia Board of Elections. August 13, 2010.
3. ^ "District of Columbia Council delays first election of attorney general". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
4. ^ "Attorney Paul Zukerberg Suing District of Columbia Council Over Timing of Attorney General Election". Washingtonian.com. Retrieved 2014-02-21.
5. "District of Columbia Judge: AG Race Won't Be on April 1 Ballot". CBS. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
6. "Paul Zukerberg Appeals Attorney General Election Decision". dcist.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-16. Retrieved 2014-02-06. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
7. Matt Cohen (February 7, 2014). "There Will Not Be An Attorney General Election This April". DCist. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2014. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
8. Matt Cohen (June 4, 2014). "Court Rules City Must Hold Attorney General Election This Year (UPDATE)". DCist. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
9. Matt Cohen and Sarah Anne Hughes (June 13, 2014). "Board Of Elections Hands Over Ballot Petitions For An Elected Attorney General". DCist. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2014. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
10. Mike DeBonis (2014-07-16). "Lorie Masters seeks D.C. attorney general post in November election". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
11. Mike DeBonis (2014-07-07). "Edward 'Smitty' Smith, former federal lawyer, joins D.C. attorney general race". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
12. Jennifer van der Kleut (2014-07-16). "D.C. attorney general race: One candidate drops out, four new ones jump in". ABC7 WJLA. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-12-20. Retrieved 2014-12-04. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
14. "D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine takes sides in Obama immigration fight". Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-01-21.
15. "Karl Racine wins first-ever race for D.C. attorney general". Washington Post. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
16. ^ "District of Columbia Former Attorneys General". National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). Retrieved April 30, 2018.
17. "Former D.C Attorney General Peter Nickles returns to law firm". Washington Business Journal. American City Business Journals. January 6, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
18. David Nakamura (October 18, 2008). "D.C. Drafts Suit Against Bank for Tax-Scam Cash". The Washington Post: 2. Retrieved April 26, 2016. (Nickles began his tenure as Acting Attorney General.)
19. Press Release from Teal's time as Corporation Counsel
20. "Biography at District of Columbia Court of Appeals" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2016-02-08. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
21. District of Columbia Bar interview
22. Biography at Rubin, Winston, Diercks, Harris & Cooke, L.L.P.
23. Official Biography at District of Columbia Circuit
24. ^ Milton Coleman (April 12, 1979). "Barry Appoints Corporation Counsel". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
25. Richard Pearson (1999-02-22). "JOHN RISHER, FORMER D.C. CORPORATION COUNSEL, DIES". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
26. "C. Francis Murphy Dies". The Washington Post. 1993-07-30. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
27. Adam Bernstein (2004-05-07). "D.C. Lawyer, Educator Charles Duncan Dies". Retrieved July 13, 2017.
28. "Legends in the Law: Charles T. Duncan". Bar Report. June–July 1996. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
29. J. R. Cole (1917). "History of Greenbrier County": 166–171. Retrieved March 24, 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
30. District of Columbia. Board of Commissioners (1905). "Annual Report of the Commissioners of the District of Columbia". 4: 34. Retrieved March 24, 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
31. Richard A. Ford, ed. (1905). "The Daily Washington Law Reporter". 33: 577. Retrieved March 24, 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
32. "Eminent and Representative Men of Virginia and the District of Columbia in the Nineteenth Century: With a Concise Historical Sketch of Virginia". Brant & Fuller. 1893: 103. Retrieved March 24, 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

External links

• District of Columbia Attorney General official website
• District of Columbia Attorney General articles at Legal Newsline Legal Journal
• District of Columbia Attorney General articles at ABA Journal
• News and Commentary at FindLaw
• District of Columbia Code at Law.Justia.com
• U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: District of Columbia" at FindLaw
• District of Columbia Bar
• District of Columbia Attorney General Karl A. Racine profile at National Association of Attorneys General
• Press releases at District of Columbia Attorney General

• District of Columbia Attorneys General
• 1973 establishments in Washington, D.C.
• City and town attorneys in the United States