Attorney Quotations

As attorney general, I can either look into it or I can ignore it because they're a bunch of powerful legislators... and I'm afraid they're going to cut my budget.

So my own suspicion is that the attorney has stopped this prosecution because part of her defence was to question legality and that would have brought his advice into the public domain again and there was something fishy about the way in which he said war was legal.

If I am going to pick and choose the laws I defend, I wouldn't be doing my duty as attorney general.

Ninety-five percent of the work in the attorney general's office is civil litigation and regulatory work, and I think I certainly have a lot more experience in that than most of the folks who have served in the office.

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and I found that out when I was Attorney General in Massachusetts.

Running for attorney general troubled me. Because I was worried I would simply become just a figurehead and that's not me.

As attorney general, I've had some connection with just about every important public issue in the last eight years in Kentucky. All of the important public issues of the day have, at some point.

You can't be a practicing attorney without being very disciplined and detail-oriented and having good time management.

All I want to do is be the best attorney general that I can be.

The attorney general should be enforcing the law, not policy.

And, as you recall, last year, people were asking us, don't vote on the bill until you read every part of the bill. So, as a good attorney and as a good legislator, I think it's my responsibility to read the amendments.

I was assigned to do a job by the attorney general, and that was to find out whether crimes were committed.

I think what we ought to be focusing on is that we are on path for the release of 75,000 pages of documents in connection with John Roberts' work in the White House, as in the counselor's office and as his time working as an assistant in the office of the attorney general.

Mr. Gonzales' failure to respond to questions legitimately posed to him by the Senate raises grave doubts in my mind as to his fitness to serve the people of the United States as their Attorney General.

The power of the lawyer is in the uncertainty of the law.

The resignation of Attorney General Eric Holder is met with both pride and disappointment by the Civil Rights community. We are proud that he has been the best Attorney General on Civil Rights in U.S. history and disappointed because he leaves at a critical time when we need his continued diligence most.

I sit here as the first African-American attorney general, serving the first African-American President of the United States. And that has to show that we have made a great deal of progress. But there's still more we have to travel along this road so we get to the place that is consistent with our founding ideals.

There is one instance that we cite in the report where in one of the conversations a member of organized crime is talking to another member of organized crime and he suggests that Attorney General Kennedy should be murdered.

I explained to the president that I've been pleased with my conversations with the Attorney General and Civil Rights Division regarding their helpful understanding that they aren't taking over this investigation, but are conducting a parallel review of the events that led to Michael Brown's death.

Salazar's record is one of weakness; he hasn't been a good attorney general.

I know that Duke made a number of demands, including that the attorney general drop its investigation. We have no intention of asking the attorney general to do that.

I hate politics, hate deals, and deal-making, hate meeting with attorneys and agents.

I'm an attorney when I'm not writing comics, and have been for years. That's a side of my life I don't always associate with pure creativity, but it's all worked out nicely.

There's something about sitting face-to-face with an attorney in an office that enables people to come to grips with the very idea of divorce - or to reconsider the idea. Like a number of my colleagues - not all - I offer that preliminary consultation for free.

I don't want to hear again from the attorney general or anyone on this floor that this government has shown it can be trusted to use the power we give it with restraint and care.

The economy is governed through cartel agreements and monopoly. The attorney general is the one who's controlling funds. There is no free business in Georgia.

Do we want an Attorney General who will play politics with the law, play politics with the court and just play politics with international conventions designed to protect our troops? I do not want to play that kind of politics. I am going to vote against Alberto Gonzales.

Somebody said something really smart: It's like you end up being the defense attorney for your role. Your job is to defend their point of view. You're fighting for what they want. You learn that in acting school - it's Acting 1A: 'What do you want? What's in the way?'

On March 12, 2004, acting attorney general James B. Comey and the Justice Department's top leadership reached the brink of resignation over electronic surveillance orders that they believed to be illegal.

We are engaged in immediate conversations with the White House on deliberations over a successor whom we hope will continue in the general direction of Attorney General Holder.

When states like Alabama and Arizona passed some of the harshest immigration laws in history, my Attorney General took them on in court and we won.

We are pleased the judge has ordered A.I.G. to share with Mr. Greenberg the report created under threat from the attorney general. Unlike the attorney general, the judge clearly understands Mr. Greenberg's right to review this material.

We stand with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in this lawsuit, ... The Illinois Commerce Commission does not have the legal authority to order a power auction with unlimited rate hikes as the outcome. The ICC should tell Ameren and ComEd to take their auction proposal to Springfield for review by the General Assembly, which approved a Public Utilities Act that clearly gives Illinois regulators final say over electricity rates.

There is no question that philosophically he is pro-life, he is a very religious individual. But I think in his stint as a governor and attorney general of Missouri, he was fair and balanced and a person who applied the law fairly.

There is no possibility that any consultations with Padilla's counsel will result in agreed terms of attorney access.

Whether it was my first campaign for district attorney in 1993 or my most recent re-election in 2001, your support has been a source of comfort and proved to be critically important to my election victories,

We remain hopeful that when the attorney general's office has completed its review of the charges against him, it will elect to dismiss this case rather than seek an indictment.

We're going to see if the district attorney can verbally review officers' actions with the GBI and OPS, ... Based on what information is given to the district attorney, a decision could be made about whether the officers can be put back on active duty.

We're going to have to consult with the attorney general and our legal staff to see where we'll take it from this point.

Unfortunately, it is now obvious that no attorney appointed by the court will satisfy the defendant,

Yes, but the Attorney General's office is not investigating Channel 2. They're investigating your company though.

We've got a meeting next week with the attorney general, and we're going to carry it all the way to the White House if we have to, because this inquiry has to be done,

Whenever you appeal, it's a little bit of an uphill battle. But it's a real issue an appellate court will take some time to decide and an issue the district attorney would rather not have.

I think that whoever is the attorney general, you don't want them to be as a yes person for any particular constituency.

We want to take him up on that offer, so we are working with Mr. Condit's attorney in order to arrange dates, times, locations and so forth in order to make that a reality, ... I think it's time that once and for all, we find out where we are with that case.

[Donald Trump] will appoint an attorney general, who will send very clear messages about how law enforcement is to be pursued in this country.

The reduction to the attorney general is the same one we've applied to every cabinet in our administration.

I liked comedy, but didn't know it was something you could do for a living. I actually wanted to be an attorney.

We're an advocate for the commonwealth, regardless of the attorney general's position on any law that's passed.

We hope we will have for the first time actual documents of testimony from the tobacco industry that would demonstrate that the allegations that have been made by the 22 state attorney generals is in fact true, and will be major evidence in the many trials that are ongoing around this country.

We have put this situation behind us. The district attorney statement speaks for itself. We will have no further comment on this matter.

We have requested that the U.S Attorney for the Southern District investigate how these private conversations were recorded and disseminated, and who was responsible.

We have sold a lot of the legal forms over the years. We had a friend who was a real estate agent and she told us which forms we would need to have, and she was right. People always liked that they could just buy one or two forms. You can't get those at the bigger stores -- they make you buy 25. What does somebody need with 25 power of attorney papers?

We shall study and obtain credible evidence against those mentioned in these scandals and in the absence of the attorney general moving on time to charge them, we shall bring private prosecution.

The process of going through the state attorney general was difficult for us. But it was a necessary step for us and now we are on the right track.

We have immediately sent a letter to Attorney General Janet Reno and to the White House, requesting that the attorney general review and reverse this decision; that the attorney general review the process under which it was determined; and that the attorney general and the White House assure Elian Gonzalez of due process of law.

We have hired an attorney to look into our legal position and will follow through on what our options are. We don't hire an attorney very often, so this is serious.

We are talking about assets that in some cases were purchased a decade before the fund existed. If the attorney general could prove those assets were purchased with coin-fund assets, it would be a miracle in the courtroom.

We had been discussing with them, answering questions, but didn't know the attorney general would be issuing an opinion today.

When then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sued me in 2003 over my stewardship as a director of the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE's legal expenses were more than $100 million, which made it perhaps the priciest litigation in the state's history.

We need both. I think you need the cooperation of the attorney general.

Like I said, a little of this, and a little of that. I got involved with the aviators of the 1930's. I became the family attorney for the Lindberghs.

On a personal level, I've seen a lot in my time as attorney general, but few things have affected me as greatly as my visit to Ferguson. I had the chance to meet with the family of Michael Brown. I spoke to them not just as attorney general but as a father of a teenage son myself.

She can always say that she's following the dictates of the law and doing her duty as attorney general. And it's clearly a great honor to argue a case in front of this court.

Most of these issues aren't understood by home buyers unless they're represented by an attorney at closing or unless they've had a chance to review subdivision documents.

Mike the trial attorney is exceptionally prepared, talented, and in regard how he runs a case in court, very professional. When he was trying cases ... you had to know he was going to be prepared. Very prepared.

Mr. Spitzer has redefined the office of Attorney General. He has consistently supported working families, while also showing no fear in taking on Wall Street moguls and other big shots. He has fought hard on behalf of exploited workers and consumers. We firmly believe there is no better choice to lead New York State than Eliot Spitzer.

Mr. Wallace does not trust people working inside the system, and that's based on a lifetime of experience. I don't know exactly why he has the feelings that he has, but it takes time to build trust between an attorney and a client.

Mr. Walker is an adult who made very serious decisions against the United States ... , ... No other individual has a right to impose an attorney on him or to choose an attorney for him.

Meanwhile, our attorney is still analyzing what the judge had to say. Based on what we hear from him we will decide if there are technical things can be addressed or whether it is bigger than that.

One reason people admire justice Jackson so much is that although he had strong views as attorney general, he recognized when he became a member of the Supreme Court that his job had changed, and he was not the president's lawyer,

One reason I voted for him and voted against Alberto Gonzalez (for attorney general) is that Gonzalez could not find the words to say that torture is illegal and that the President is not above the law. Roberts could.

One of the things that Sara Jane was asked in court yesterday by Deputy District Attorney Eleanor Hunter was, 'Are you pleading guilty because you are in truth and in fact guilty and do you stipulate that there is a factual basis for the guilty plea?' to which she replied, 'Yes.' In light of what she said after walking out of court, we can only assume she was lying to the judge, or lying to the press to save face. The judge is obviously concerned.

One of the things that I can tell you is, having come in on the heels of no confirmed attorney general for a month and a half, this department is a great institution. The people who work here do one heck of a job for the American people,

One of the things George Bush was comfortable with in asking me to stay on as attorney general, he told me, was that I was a friend, but not a crony.

One example of this is the unbridled attacks by some of the media on the majority ruling of Cohen's disciplinary court. The criticism included inferences that ties of friendship between one of the judges and the judge's attorney shaped the outcome of the hearing; that the judges ought to admit their error in public; and that the ruling was ridiculous, distorted and revolting. This isn't criticism. This is attacking for its own sake,

One would have thought that a former attorney general wouldn't be doing that.

One wonders whether the government showed up with a court order or an opinion letter from the attorney general. The Bells should at the very least inquire about the law that governs their situation. I hope a conversation ensued after the government made the request.

More eloquently than any attorney general before or since, Dr. Martin Luther King spoke of making justice -- quote -- 'a reality for all God's children,'

Next term, there would be an incumbent district attorney and most people like to serve at least two terms. Effectively, I'm taking myself out of the picture for eight years.

No good divorce attorney pads their bills or needs a case to go longer. I have no incentive to make a case drag on.

Richmond County District Attorney Danny Craig said in the motions hearing,that but for the Gwinnett County case, they would not have had probable cause to indict him. If he's correct, and I have no reason to doubt the D.A. of Richmond County, then I don't think that will substantiate a prior bad act. It would render it inadmissible in the Gwinnett County case.

Pharmaceutical companies spend more than $12 billion per year marketing their products in the U.S. That's more than is spent on all medical education in this nation as a whole. Combined, programs funded by the attorney general grants will help consumers better distinguish between promotional messages and education messages.

My understanding is we've made no announcements about the U.S. attorney position up there.

I was raised - professionally - in the Public Integrity Section. I started in 1976, stayed there for 12 years. It was formed after Watergate by then-head of the Criminal Division Dick Thornburgh, who ultimately became Attorney General.

I wish to state very strongly that the above reasons and others cited by the Attorney General through their lawyers in the London High Court are not sufficient or valid reasons justifying the ousting of jurisdiction of the Zambian courts in this matter,

I would expect Bush to appoint an assistant attorney general for antitrust who would settle for wimpy relief, but then you still have the 19 states suing, so it would be up to them.

I got into Mock Trial because I really wanted to be an attorney when I was younger. If anything, it has reinforced it.

If they get a technocrat and a skilled professional in the job as minister of justice and attorney general, we could see some real movement that's been lacking over the last several years.

I have huge respect for Preet Bharara, a great U.S. Attorney by any measure. But even great men can make mistakes.

I'd like to continue being involved with issues that animated my time as attorney general - criminal-justice reform and civil rights especially. I don't just want to give speeches; I'd like to involve myself in this work in a systematic way.

I'd like the attorney general to step aside, do the right thing, support an independent investigation and let that move forward. Until we do that, we, as a community, will not have faith and confidence.

I don't know what I'm going to be doing in 2008, ... I wasn't planning when I was associate attorney general or U.S. attorney (in the 1980s) to run for mayor. It all came gradually much closer to the time that I did it.

I don't know whether the Attorney General was responding to a question in a news conference, but that's the reason that Homeland Security is the agency that the President has designated to communicate changes in the threat level. And Secretary Ridge addressed that subsequently. I think it goes to show that there's different voices, and, as we have created the Department, we tried to bring that together so there's one focal point of communication as to the threats that we face and how the public is supposed to respond to it, and that's Homeland Security.

I don't believe the city attorney can advise both city management and the pension system on the same issues.

I do not question that the attorney general should have this immunity. But for tactical reasons, I would not raise the issue here.

I am concerned about information I have received indicating that President Bush, himself may have supplanted the role of veteran career litigators at the Department of Justice, ... As a result, I am particularly interested in learning about what role, if any, Phil Perry, associate attorney general and Vice President Cheney's son-in-law; Alberto Gonzales, assistant to the president and White House counsel; and Larry Lindsey, assistant to the president for economic policy and director, National Economic Council, played in this decision.

I believe the office of district attorney is an important opportunity to help victims of crime and to make the community safer for our families.

I believe the (Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission) expects me to express remorse, but I don?t see where there was even a conflict.

I am sorry that they had to go in after him this way, but I don't know what choice the attorney general had. The father actually had custody, legal custody of this child for the last nine days. The relatives in Miami would not give him up.