The Arizona Attorney General (A.G.) is part of the executive branch, under the governor. The position of the A.G. is required by the state constitution. Every four years, the people of Arizona elect their new A.G. Attorneys General are popularly elected in 43 states and in Guam. In Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey,Wyoming, and in the other territories, the A.G. is appointed by the governor, while the mayor makes the appointment in the District of Columbia. The attorneys general of Maine and of Tennessee are elected by the Maine legislature and by the Tennessee Supreme Court, respectively.
The office is divided into eight different parts: the Civil Division, Child and Family Protection, Criminal, Public Advocacy and Civil Rights, Executive office, Business and Finance, Solicitor General, and the Administrative Services Division. Among these eight parts, there are approximately 400 attorneys and 1000 other employees.
The A.G.'s office offers legal aide to most state agencies, as well as bringing and defending lawsuits on behalf of the state. While most crimes are prosecuted by county and city attorneys, the A.G.'s office handles cases of people charged with crimes like complex financial crimes and illegal drug conspiracies like possession, transportation, and sale. Other crimes prosecuted by the A.G. include white collar crimes, civil rights violations, organized crime, public corruption, environmental laws, and crimes committed in more than one county. If there is a conflict of interest in a case handled by county attorneys the A.G.'s office will step in and take over.
