State AG Opinions
Free state attorney general opinions with plain-English summaries, full citations, and the original source on every page.
No opinions match these filters
Try fewer or different words, check the spelling, or clear the filters to browse everything.
Does the carve-out in Ark. Code Ann. § 21-5-406(e)(3)(C) exempt every SEBCO benefit from state oversight, or only the specific plan as it existed on July 1, 1995?
Only the specific 1995 plan. The Executive Director of the Employee Benefits Division can supervise any SEBCO product or plan that was not part of the benefit plan in effect on July 1, 1995. If…
Could a Louisiana human services district use support-fund money to reimburse its own clinic for a patient deductible?
Yes, if the payment served the fund’s statutory purpose and the recipient met objective need criteria. The AG said the Capital Area Human Services District could reimburse its own clinic for the…
Does Arkansas Act 137 of 2015 invalidate the SOGI nondiscrimination ordinances passed by Little Rock, Fayetteville, Hot Springs, Eureka Springs, and Pulaski County?
Yes, in the AG's view. Act 137 expressly preempts the field of antidiscrimination law and bars any city or county from prohibiting discrimination on a basis not already in state law. Because…
When a West Virginia sheriff has leftover money in his deputy salary budget, can he pay deputies extra cash for unused vacation, and can the county commission stop him?
The AG concluded that the county commission may refuse a request to exchange accrued vacation for cash under its fiscal authority. The sheriff generally may use excess funds within his approved…
Can the Arkansas State Police release the internal-affairs investigation file of a former recruit when the events are 15 years old?
No, in the AG's view. The records were employee-evaluation records that met three of the four required elements for disclosure (the employee was terminated, the termination was final, and the…
Is a niece-in-law a 'relative' under Arkansas's state-agency anti-nepotism statute?
No. The statute (Ark. Code Ann. § 25-16-1001(3)) exhaustively defines 'relative' using the word 'means,' which Arkansas courts read as an enumerated, closed list. The list includes specified in-law…
Can an Arkansas city council member also serve as the city's volunteer fire chief?
It depends on whether the fire chief is a 'volunteer firefighter' within the meaning of Ark. Code Ann. § 14-42-115. The statute permits a volunteer firefighter to serve on the city council and…
Did Arkansas Act 746 of 2013 legalize open carry of a handgun without a concealed-carry license?
The AG said mere handgun possession did not violate the amended carrying-a-weapon offense without intent to attempt unlawful use against a person. Other location laws, private-property rights, and…
What salary threshold triggers executive and legislative approval for an Arkansas state agency hiring a constitutional officer's spouse after the state pay plan was overhauled in 2009?
The threshold was $37,649, the salary that corresponded to old Level 4, Grade 13 just before the 2009 pay-plan reorganization. The Department of Finance and Administration had used that figure…
Could a Kentucky landowner leave a voluntary agricultural district before its five-year review without a penalty?
The Kentucky AG concluded in 2015 that a landowner could withdraw from a voluntary agricultural district before the five-year review without a statutory penalty. Although the law referred to a…
Could Caddo Parish constables keep multiple deputies appointed before the 2015 law limited them to one?
No. The AG concluded that Act 93 took effect on August 1, 2015, and allowed each Caddo Parish justice-of-the-peace constable only one deputy from that date. The act contained no grandfather clause…
Is a settlement demand letter sent to a Florida city a public record?
Responding informally to the Town of Miami Lakes, the Attorney General's office did not issue a formal ruling but pointed the town to the 2015 Government-in-the-Sunshine Manual, which collects court…
Could a South Carolina sheriff auction confiscated handguns to buy police equipment?
The 2015 AG said no. The handgun-disposal statute allowed agency use, transfer to another law enforcement agency, trade with a licensed dealer, or destruction; it did not authorize auction or…
Can Delaware require political parties to put a 'paid for by' disclaimer on campaign ads without violating the First Amendment?
Yes, according to this opinion. Delaware's State Election Commissioner asked whether she could keep enforcing the state's disclaimer law requiring political parties to label campaign advertisements…
Did Lake Charles have to provide fire protection to the port and airport inside city limits without charging them?
Yes. The Attorney General concluded that Lake Charles had to respond to fire emergencies at the port and airport facilities located within city limits without charging those entities. Because that…
Must a Louisiana fire district pay full-time and part-time firefighters the same hourly rate?
No automatic equal rate was required. The AG said La. R.S. 33:1969 required equal compensation for equal performance of duty and responsibility, but full-time and part-time work in the described…
Could a Louisiana justice of the peace also work part-time as a school bus driver?
The AG said Louisiana’s Dual Officeholding Law did not bar a justice of the peace from working part-time as a school board bus driver because the positions belonged to separate political…
Did Blanchard become eligible for alcohol sales when its surrounding Louisiana election district became wet?
The AG said Blanchard remained dry under its separate 1981 local-option vote, even though reorganization made the surrounding unincorporated area wet. Removing a town ordinance could not undo the…
Did a Louisiana fire district have to write a job description for its part-time secretary-treasurer?
The AG found no statute or court opinion requiring Terrebonne Fire District No. 10 to have a job description for its part-time secretary-treasurer. It treated that job as unclassified service but…
Can a Tennessee city council use its charter subpoena power to get investigative records from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation?
No. State law allows TBI investigative records to be released only with a subpoena or order 'of a court of record.' A city council is not a court of record, so its subpoenas don't meet the statutory test.
Did Louisiana public-records, audit, meeting and bid laws apply to a volunteer fire department receiving public funds?
The AG said the nonprofit volunteer fire department was not a public entity, but its records tied to public funds were subject to the Public Records Law. Audit coverage depended on statutory…
Could Savannah Lakes Village tax funds support fire services outside the district?
The 2015 AG said a special tax district could contract with another political subdivision for shared fire and first-response services, including service across district lines, if the agreement was…
Did South Carolina’s medical parole law cover inmates sentenced to life without parole?
The 2015 AG said no. Medical parole could accelerate consideration for otherwise parole-eligible inmates, but did not extend to prisoners serving death or life-without-parole sentences or otherwise…
Does an Illinois Department of Corrections employee lose his pension if he is convicted of having sexual contact with a person in his prison's custody?
Yes. Attorney General Lisa Madigan concluded that a former Logan Correctional Center employee forfeited his State Employees' Retirement System pension under section 14-149 of the Pension Code after…
Does a Tennessee church need to license its volunteer security team under the Private Protective Services Act, even if the volunteers carry guns?
No. Unpaid volunteer church members serving as a security team for their own church are not a 'contract security company' (no business or contract) or a 'proprietary security organization' (no…
Did federal debt collection law override Kentucky’s filing and service rules for garnishing state employees?
The Kentucky AG concluded in 2015 that the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act did not preempt Kentucky’s requirements for serving state-employee garnishments or registering out-of-state…
How did South Carolina’s 2015 law count the tax-sale redemption period?
The 2015 AG reaffirmed that the tax-sale date was excluded and the final day of the 12-month redemption period included. In its example, an October 6, 2003 sale could be redeemed on October 7, 2004;…
Could Kentucky juvenile justice staff report abuse disclosed during a child sex offender’s treatment?
The Kentucky AG concluded in 2015 that staff could report newly identified child victims to the health cabinet for care under the limited treatment-communication privilege. It also said the usual…
Does the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Act's ban on the lottery 'issuing bonds' stop the lottery office from running a self-bonding pool for retailers?
No. The statute's bond prohibition refers to debt instruments, not to performance or surety bonds, so the lottery office could adopt a rule pooling retailer fees in place of surety bonds.
Did Dewey Beach violate FOIA in its meetings, emails, and records response about a proposed town hall property purchase?
The AG found two FOIA violations: an untimely, inadequate response to a records request and missing minutes for a public meeting. It found no FOIA violation in the Council's public vote to approve…
Did South Carolina’s revenue department have to file tax liens electronically in 2015?
The 2015 AG said the Department of Revenue had to submit tax collection documents electronically where the receiving clerk or register accepted electronic filings. Both sides were to follow the…
When did acts of the 2015 First Extraordinary Session of the Arkansas General Assembly take effect if they carried no emergency clause and no specified effective date?
August 27, 2015. The session adjourned sine die on May 28, 2015. Counting ninety full days from the day after adjournment (the standard 91st-day rule under Amendment 7) made the effective date August 27.
Did the Arkansas AG approve the 'Curtail Amendments' ballot title for the 2016 measure limiting the legislature to one proposed constitutional amendment per session?
No. The AG rejected the proposal for ambiguities, including unclear language about whether legislative amendments would need a 'heading' or 'ballot title,' who would write or approve it, and a…
Can the Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission have its surplus trust fund money invested in securities other than certificates of deposit?
Yes, but only during the FY2016 window that the AWCC's 2015 appropriation act opened. The special language in Act 969 of 2015 displaced the usual rule that the State Treasurer first park surplus…
Can a West Virginia state college's board of governors give all employees a one-time $500 bonus after the work has already been done, or does the state constitution forbid it?
It depends on whether the employee is under contract. The AG read W. Va. Const. art. VI, § 38 to forbid extra compensation for past work, which made the December 2014 bonus unlawful for the…
Could a Louisiana parish use a road-lighting tax to move utility poles for a public trail?
The AG said St. James Parish could use its dedicated road-lighting millage to relocate utility poles that carried lights or supported other lighting poles. The move kept public street lighting in…
Do pharmacy benefit managers have to give Texas pharmacies notice before dropping them from a health plan network?
The AG concluded that the Insurance Code's notice-and-review protections for terminated providers can reach pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), not just the insurers and HMOs the statutes name…
When a Texas town dissolves, can its leftover money and property go to a local nonprofit?
The AG concluded that the former officials who wind down an abolished general-law city may transfer its leftover assets to a local nonprofit corporation, and a court is unlikely to second-guess…
Can Texas police impound your car if you can't show proof of insurance?
The AG concluded that any Texas peace officer, including city police, may impound a vehicle when the driver cannot show proof of financial responsibility (auto insurance), as long as the impoundment…
Can a Texas city hire a private company to enforce handicap parking rules?
The AG concluded that a court would likely say no. Section 681.0101 of the Transportation Code lets a political subdivision appoint a 'person' to file disabled-parking charges, but the AG read…
When a Maine House Speaker sued the Governor in his individual and official capacity, what authorization did the Governor need to retain private counsel at state expense?
Deputy AG Herman authorized Governor LePage to retain Patrick Strawbridge of Consovoy McCarthy Park PLLC to defend Eves v. LePage at $380 per hour, capped at the State's $400,000 self-insurance…
Could Kentucky Fish and Wildlife employees run for nonpartisan office or campaign while working for the department?
The Kentucky AG concluded in 2015 that KRS 150.081 barred classified and unclassified Fish and Wildlife employees from running for partisan or nonpartisan office and actively campaigning. It also…
Did a Kentucky retiree’s paid service on a public board count as reemployment that voided retirement?
The Kentucky AG concluded in 2015 that service on a statutory public board was a public office, not employment for retirement-system purposes. A retired board member could receive the statutory per…
Could a Louisiana public library bar political groups from meeting rooms or charge for campaign use?
The AG said Rapides Parish Library had likely created a public forum by opening meeting rooms to groups. It could impose reasonable restrictions but could not exclude a group for its political…
Does the West Virginia Constitution's bidding requirement for state printing (Art. 6, § 34) bar the Legislature from leasing printing machines and using its own employees to print bills and the daily journal in-house?
No. The AG read W. Va. Const. art. VI, § 34 as ambiguous on the in-house question but concluded the better reading allows in-house printing. The residual clause expressly applies only to printing…
Were a Louisiana advocacy nonprofit’s staff job descriptions public records?
Only if they were connected to public money. The AG said the Advocacy Center was subject to Louisiana’s Public Records Law for records tied to its receipt or expenditure of public funds, but its…
Could a Louisiana sewer district reduce a developer's impact fees in exchange for a larger sewer line?
The AG said the district could reduce impact fees to offset a developer's added cost of installing a larger sewer line for its expansion plan, if it received at least equivalent value.
Can a Texas school district police chief also serve as a county constable?
The AG concluded that yes, an independent school district's chief of police may hold the office of constable at the same time. Neither the Texas Constitution's ban on holding two civil offices of…
Does a Texas county have to pay for a county employee's lawyer in a lawsuit?
The AG concluded that a county is not automatically required to pay for a county official's or employee's private lawyer. Under Local Government Code section 157.901, the county must fund private…
Can a Texas county attorney keep a commission on bond forfeiture money?
The AG concluded yes. Under Government Code section 41.005(b), a county attorney who has criminal jurisdiction and represents the state in bond forfeiture proceedings may keep a commission out of…
Can a Texas county hospital district create and fund a nonprofit physician group?
The AG concluded that the Tarrant County Hospital District may create and fund a charitable physician group under Health and Safety Code section 281.0565(b), as long as the District reasonably…
Could South Carolina police add charges during a pursuit outside their usual jurisdiction?
The 2015 AG said an officer lawfully pursuing a suspect beyond city or county boundaries could charge additional offenses observed during the pursuit or resulting stop, so long as the basis for the…
Did the Arkansas AG certify the popular name and ballot title for the proposed 2016 amendment shortening legislative term limits?
Yes for the popular name. The AG substituted and certified a revised ballot title that more precisely described the proposed cap of ten years of total General Assembly service and the repeal of…
Are Arkansas fifth-grade, sixth-grade, and 'encore' art and music teachers, whose class roster changes through the day, entitled to the same per-teacher classroom funding their grade-level colleagues receive?
Yes. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 6-21-303(b), every pre-K through sixth-grade teacher gets the greater of $20 per student enrolled more than half the day or a flat $500 for the year, so teachers whose…
Did South Carolina law permit a supervised self-driving car test on public roads in 2015?
The 2015 AG said state law neither expressly allowed nor banned autonomous-vehicle testing. A court would likely permit a supervised test with a licensed driver ready to take over if applicable…
Does Virginia's war-monument protection statute also cover markers placed to highlight a historic building?
No. The AG concluded that § 15.2-1812's anti-removal protection reached only monuments to wars, conflicts, and war veterans. A marker installed to commemorate a building's historical significance…
In Arkansas, can a justice of the peace who is willing to perform some civil marriages refuse to officiate same-sex weddings on religious grounds?
The AG said it depends on how an Arkansas court would interpret the new state Religious Freedom Restoration Act and on whether the JP is acting as a civil official or as a registered minister. JPs…
Can an Arkansas city pass a blanket ordinance permanently exempting itself from the Shielded Outdoor Lighting Act's requirement that public funds be used only for shielded outdoor light fixtures?
No to a blank exemption. The AG said any cost-prohibitive exemption ordinance under the Shielded Outdoor Lighting Act must reflect the cost analysis the statute requires, and the AG flagged most…
Can a Florida public pension board travel out of state to interview consultants without violating the Sunshine Law?
A local public pension board cannot travel to other states to interview investment consultants and satisfy the Government in the Sunshine Law just by providing a live audio-video feed back home. The…
Is a Florida state college district a public entity or political subdivision of the state?
At the FAA's request, the Attorney General certified that the District Board of Trustees for Indian River State College is a political subdivision and public entity of Florida. Under section…
How these opinions are useful
- Understand state law: AG opinions are authoritative interpretations of how state law applies.
- Persuasive authority: Not binding like court decisions, but they carry significant weight.
- Government guidance: Often clarify how state agencies and officials should interpret statutes.
- Legal research: Cite AG opinions in letters, motions, and legal arguments.
Browse opinions by state
Two states are not listed and are not pending: New Hampshire publishes its opinions on a page that automated retrieval cannot read, and Rhode Island publishes no complete full-text archive at all. We will add them if that changes.