Texas Attorney General

The office has its origins in British common law and Spanish civil law, and it was first established by executive order in 1836. While the governor was originally appointed to the position, a constitutional amendment in 1850 changed it to an elected office to ensure it was directly accountable to the public. Under the constitution of 1876, the attorney general was officially recognized as one of the seven officials that make up the executive branch of the Texas state government. Attorneys general are elected to four-year terms. In 2013, former attorney general Greg Abbott announced he would run for governor rather than seek reelection. In November 2014, he was elected as the governor of Texas. Ken Paxton defeated former House representative Dan Branch in the Republican primary by a 26% margin and was easily elected in the general election as the 50th attorney general of Texas, (there is a historical dispute whether he is the 50th or 51st attorney general). Paxton was sworn in on January 5, 2015, in the Senate Chamber in the Texas Capitol. Governor Rick Perry, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, United States senator Ted Cruz, and Lieutenant Governor-Elect Dan Patrick all participated in the swearing-in ceremony. ==Duties and responsibilities==

The attorney general is charged by the state constitution to represent the state in civil litigation There are nearly 2,000 references to the Office of the Attorney General in state laws. The Office of the Attorney General serves as legal counsel to all boards and agencies of state government, issues legal opinions when requested by the governor, heads of state agencies and other officials and commissions, and defends challenges to state laws and suits against both state agencies and individual employees of the state. They act as the state's attorney, fighting against challenges to state agencies and laws in court, give opinions on how state law should be understood, conduct investigations, and file lawsuits to keep the people in their state safe. Some duties include representing the Director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in appeals from criminal convictions in federal courts. The Texas Constitution gives the attorney general no general law-enforcement powers; instead it, limits their authority in criminal cases to what is dictated by statute. The Office of the Attorney General, Law Enforcement Division conducts criminal investigations and apprehensions including cases involving cyber-crimes such as child pornography, online solicitation of minors, identity theft, election fraud, locating and apprehending convicted sex offenders who have failed to comply with mandated sex offender registration requirements, and conducting digital forensics investigations. However, in certain circumstances, the attorney general has original jurisdiction to prosecute violations of the law, rather than just acting at the request of local prosecution. The Office of the Attorney General also operates the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit which investigates criminal fraud by Medicaid providers, abuse and neglect of patients in health care facilities operated by the Medicaid program, and helps local and federal authorities with prosecutions. Its child support division is responsible for the establishment and enforcement of child support. == Officeholders ==

Many leading political figures in Texas history have served as attorney general, several of them using the office as a jumping-off place to other offices in the state and national government. Attorneys general James S. Hogg, Charles A. Culberson, Dan Moody, James V. Allred, Price Daniel, Mark White, and Greg Abbott were elected governor. Culberson, Daniel, and John Cornyn were later elected to the United States Senate. ==Notes==