OPINION: Should Idaho’s attorney general be a competent lawyer or a politician?
Because many voters were not clear about what the attorney general is required to do in office, six former Idaho attorneys general joined together in April 2022 to explain. The six had served continuously from 1971 to 2003. They summarized the Idaho AG’s job as being the “State’s family lawyer.” Those AGs were Tony Park, Wayne Kidwell, David Leroy, Jim Jones, Larry Echo Hawk and Al Lance. Lawrence Wasden, who was then the AG, agreed with their explanation. So, seven AGs, two Democrats and five Republicans with a total of 52 years of service, agreed on an AG job description.
In that 2022 explanation, they said: “Like a family lawyer, a competent AG tells state officials what they need to do to keep the government out of legal trouble. The AG’s oath of office requires that he (or she) give legal advice and assistance that complies with the U.S. and Idaho Constitutions. Keeping the government on firm legal footing is not headline-grabbing but it is essential for the protection of both the government and the citizenry.”
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