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U.S. Attorney General Opinions
The Attorney General represents the United States in legal matters generally and gives advice and opinions to the President and to the heads of the executive departments of the Government when so requested.
Under the Judiciary Act of 1789, the Attorney General was authorized to render opinions on questions of law when requested by the President and the heads of executive departments. This authority is now codified at 28 U.S.C. §§ 511-513. Opinions of the Attorney General are merely advisory statements and are not binding on the courts, but they are generally followed by executive officers and have influence on the courts, especially when there is no precedent to the contrary.
Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 510 the Attorney General has delegated to the Office of Legal Counsel responsibility for preparing the formal opinions of the Attorney General, rendering opinions to the various federal agencies, assisting the Attorney General in the performance of his function as legal adviser to the President, and rendering opinions to the Attorney General and the heads of the various organizational units of the Department of Justice. 28 C.F.R. § 0.25
Opinions are published in the following sources:
- 1992 to present
- Memoranda and Opinions are available online from the Office of Legal Counsel.
- 1977 to 1994
- Opinions
of the Office of Legal Counsel of the United States Department of
Justice, published by the Office of Legal Counsel, published by the Office of Legal Counsel, is available in Government Documents
under Call No. J1.5/4:vol.
- 1789 to 1974
- Official Opinions of the Attorneys General of the United States, published by the U.S. Department of Justice, is available in Government Documents under Call No. J 1.5:vol.
