Vol. 30, No. 5, #8. The Wyoming Attorney General's Office: An Overview.

• Author: Author: Michael L. Hubbard

Wyoming Bar Journal

2007.

Vol. 30, No. 5, #8.

The Wyoming Attorney General's Office: An Overview

Wyoming Bar Journal Vol. 30, No. 5, #8 Issue: October, 2007

The Wyoming Attorney General's Office: An OverviewAuthor: Michael L. HubbardAs a young assistant attorney general, I stood before the Honorable Ewing T. Kerr, confident that I could answer any questions about my motion. Then came the question from that wonderful deep voice, "Counsel, how many attorneys are there in the Attorney General's Office?"

What? Was I in the wrong place? Was this a comment on my performance? "Counsel, when I was Attorney General there was one deputy and one assistant . . ." The next several minutes involved a discussion regarding the size of government and appropriate levels of legal support. Thereafter I learned that this scenario had occurred many times, both before and after my experience. My colleagues, although numerous, had failed to warn me. For the record, learned co-counsel did admit to prior knowledge by laughing out loud. Over the years, Judge Kerr had made it a practice to survey the size of the office he once held from 1939 to 1943.

General Facts

Wyoming is one of seven states that appoints, rather than elects, the state Attorney General. In Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire and New Jersey, the governor also appoints the Attorney General. Maine selects its AG by joint ballot of the legislature. In Tennessee, the AG is appointed by the state supreme court.

The framers of the Wyoming Constitution actually considered a cost-saving proposal that would have made the "Supreme Court act as the attorney general." A delegate from Albany County, argued, "Speaking from a layman's point of view . . . , it is no more than right that the supreme court should have something to do. If we have a supreme court, . . . they won't have more than two weeks of work in the year, and I see no reason on earth why they should not be required to give any information that would be required of a state's attorney. . . ." Fortunately, the delegates opted for an independent supreme court; however, an attorney general was not provided for in the Constitution. In Wyoming, the office is created by statute.

With the most recent appointment of Bruce A. Salzburg, 34 attorneys general have been appointed in Wyoming history. The first was Hugo Donzelmann who served as the territorial AG upon creation of the office on March 31, 1886. The annual salary was $1,200 to be paid quarterly. The term of office was two years. Upon statehood, he also became the first state attorney general appointed by Governor F. E. Warren.

The average length of service for a Wyoming AG is...