Attorney General of Hawaii

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Hawaii

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Hawaii

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The Attorney General of Hawaiʻi is the state Attorney General and the chief legal and law enforcement officer of the State of Hawaiʻi. He or she is appointed by the governor and is responsible for advising the various agencies and departments of the executive branch, legislative branch and judicial branch of the state government. He or she is also responsible for the prosecution of offenses to Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes and for advocating the basic rights of Hawaiʻi residents. Historically, the Attorney General of Hawaiʻi has been from either the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi or the Hawaiʻi Republican Party.

Contents 1 Line of Succession 2 Controversies 3 List of Attorneys General 4 Resources

[edit] Line of Succession

According to the Constitution of Hawaiʻi, the attorney general becomes acting governor upon the absence of both the Governor of Hawaiʻi and Lieutenant Governor of Hawaiʻi from the state. The most recent case in which the attorney general became acting governor was from August 25 to September 3, 2004 when Mark J. Bennett replaced Governor Linda Lingle and Lieutenant Governor James Aiona, who left the state to attend the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City.

[edit] Controversies

With the failed 1998 confirmation by the Hawaiʻi State Senate of popular sitting attorney general Margery Bronster, as political payback for her actions to reform the corrupt Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate whose trustees were friends of various powerful legislators, many Hawaiʻi residents called for the right to elect the attorney general. Several attempts failed to create the constitutional amendment.

[edit] List of Attorneys General

• Margery Bronster, Democrat, 1995-1998
• Earl I. Anzai, Democrat, 1999-2002
• Mark J. Bennett, Republican, 2003-Present

[edit] Resources

• Constitution of the State of Hawaiʻi
• Office of the Attorney General of Hawaiʻi