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.
After the 1976 private act transferred county-chairman judicial powers to Jackson County's General Sessions Court, who has probate jurisdiction there today?
The 1976 private act transferred the County Chairman's judicial powers to the Jackson County General Sessions Judge. A 1997 private act then placed probate matters under the Chancery Court, ending…
When Tennessee distributes TVA payments-in-lieu-of-taxes to counties by acreage, does TVA-owned underwater land (reservoirs) count toward each county's share?
Yes. When Tennessee distributes the 10% share of TVA payments-in-lieu-of-taxes that is allocated by TVA-owned acreage in each county, the Department of Revenue should count both dry land and…
Could South Carolina traffic tickets tell drivers to pay eligible fines online by credit card?
The Attorney General approved proposed wording for the back of the uniform traffic ticket allowing online credit-card fine payment when no court appearance was required and the county participated.…
Can Tennessee automatically extend a wireline carrier's ETC designation to its wireless services without separate FCC or state review?
Likely no. A proposed Tennessee amendment that would automatically extend the TRA's prior designation of a wireline carrier as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier to that carrier's wireless…
Did a South Carolina HOA management company break the law by refusing owners financial records?
The Attorney General did not decide whether the named management company violated any law, because that depended on facts outside an AG opinion. It said HOAs and managers remained bound by state law…
In Tennessee, who can appoint a courtroom bailiff or court officer authorized to carry a weapon, and what training is required?
The county sheriff appoints bailiffs and court officers, except in Davidson County (Nashville's metropolitan government), where trial judges appoint their own. Deputy sheriffs assigned to courts…
Do government employees who do locksmithing for their employer need a TN locksmith license, and is the rule different for lockout-only services?
Yes, state and local government employees performing locksmithing services at work need a Tennessee locksmith license. Businesses that only unlock vehicles for their owners (lockout services) are…
Can Tennessee cap pay to court-appointed lawyers for indigent defendants when state funds run out, paying each lawyer a pro rata share?
Yes. A statute that limits compensation to appointed criminal-defense counsel on a pro rata basis when quarterly funds run short is constitutionally defensible. Capping compensation does not violate…
Can a Texas mental health authority sell or lease state land it was given and spend the proceeds on services instead of using the land itself?
No. The Attorney General concluded that House Bill 1759 (2007) and House Bill 1023 (2009), which transferred state property to Spindletop Mental Health Mental Retardation Services for…
Must every Florida tax collector offer the state's electronic vehicle title and registration filing system?
Yes. The AG concluded that section 320.03(10), Florida Statutes, which says the electronic filing system is approved for use in all counties and shall apply uniformly to all tax collectors of the…
Did South Carolina’s proposed 2010 immigration enforcement bill violate federal constitutional limits?
The Attorney General predicted that a court would likely uphold proposed S.1446 on its face. The opinion read the bill as requiring a lawful initial stop and objective reasonable suspicion before…
Can a Texas commissioners court dock county clerk employees' pay for time off the clerk gave them during a weather emergency?
Probably not. The Attorney General concluded that a court would likely hold that the Grayson County Commissioners Court may not amend the county budget midyear to transfer funds out of the county…
Could York County’s Rural Fire Board poll members or seek consensus in a closed meeting?
The Attorney General said a straw poll or holding the executive session open until members agreed on a motion would violate South Carolina’s open-meetings rule. It also said the board generally…
Could South Carolina extend Sumter school trustees’ terms while consolidating school districts?
The Attorney General concluded that proposed legislation extending the terms of Sumter School Districts 2 and 17 trustees until consolidation was constitutional. It reasoned that school trustees…
Can Tennessee make convicted felons pay all court fines, restitution, and court costs before getting their right to vote restored?
Yes. The proposed amendment to Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-29-202 was constitutional. Felons do not have a fundamental right to vote, wealth is not a suspect classification, and a federal court (Johnson v.…
Was a radio station's political talk show an in-kind campaign contribution because a candidate co-hosted it?
The Attorney General advised Maryland election officials not to treat the radio broadcasts at issue as an illegal in-kind contribution merely because a candidate or prospective candidate hosted or…
When was a firearm a copy of a listed assault weapon under the Maryland law examined in 2010?
The Attorney General concluded that a firearm counted as a copy of a listed assault weapon when its internal components and function were similar to the listed weapon. Cosmetic resemblance alone did…
Can Virginia force local school boards to start school after Labor Day, or does that intrude on local control of schools?
The AG declined to declare § 22.1-79.1 unconstitutional. The statute requires school boards to set the first student day after Labor Day, with good-cause waivers, and falls within General Assembly…
Can the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation extend its multi-million-dollar vendor contracts (Gtech, Scientific Games) for years without re-bidding, and without sign-off from any state agency or legislative committee?
Yes. The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation is a quasi-public entity governed by its own procurement statute (Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-51-126), not standard state procurement law. Its board can…
Can a Tennessee bill about a Blount County river be amended to address a Rutherford County road?
No. House Bill 3230's caption limited it to 'the Little River in Blount County, Tennessee.' An amendment about a Rutherford County road falls outside the restrictive caption and would violate…
When a Tennessee government agency buys greenbelt-classified land for parks or conservation, does the seller (or anyone) have to pay 'rollback' property taxes, even if the land stays open?
Generally yes. After a 2008 amendment to the Greenbelt Law, conveying greenbelt land to a government entity triggers rollback taxes whenever the conveyance makes the land tax-exempt, even if…
Can a Tennessee school, college, or university share campus criminal incident reports with police, and can law enforcement and juvenile courts swap information about minor children?
Yes to all three. FERPA exempts law-enforcement-unit records from its protections, so schools can share campus crime data with police. HIPAA allows disclosure to law enforcement under several…
Could a California redevelopment agency negotiate a rehabilitation loan in closed session?
The California Attorney General concluded in 2010 that a rehabilitation loan could not be discussed behind closed doors merely because it concerned leased property or included use restrictions.…
Could CollegeInvest, the state's student-loan authority, hire an outside lobbyist?
Yes. The AG concluded that § 23-3.1-206(1)(g)'s authority to engage 'private consultants', 'professional and technical assistance', 'advice', and 'other services' was broad enough to cover…
How does the Texas Comptroller calculate whether the $182 million State Highway Fund trigger for the rail relocation fund is met?
The Attorney General answered the Comptroller's two questions about a budget rider (article IX, section 17.10 of the 2010-2011 General Appropriations Act) that allocated $182 million from the State…
Is a Texas budget rider that moves money and staff from TxDOT to the new Department of Motor Vehicles a new appropriation?
Probably not. The Attorney General concluded that a court would likely hold that section 17.30(b), article IX of the 2010-2011 General Appropriations Act, which directed the Texas Department of…
Could Tennessee constitutionally treat a non-viable fetus as a victim under its assault and homicide statutes, in light of Roe v. Wade and the right to abortion?
Yes. The AG found Senate Bill 3699, which would extend Tennessee's assault and homicide victim definitions to non-viable fetuses, constitutionally defensible under the law it reviewed in 2010. The…
How did Texas school districts have to calculate and adopt property-tax rates under the 2010 rollback-election rules?
Under the 2010 statute, a school district could not raise its maintenance-and-operation rate above the rollback formula's M&O ceiling without voter approval, even if the combined rate stayed below…
When does Virginia's reckless driving law prohibit passing two cars at once on a two-lane road?
Section 46.2-856 bars passing two vehicles traveling side by side in two different lanes moving the same direction. It does not apply on highways with three or more lanes each way, or on one-way streets.
Are companies that sell home service contracts in Virginia regulated by the SCC, and do they need a contractor's license?
If a home service contract provider qualifies for an exemption to § 38.2-2618, the SCC cannot enforce against it. Whether the provider needs a contractor's license under Chapter 11 of Title 54.1…
Could a magistrate issue a warrant to inspect a home for violating an overnight-occupancy zoning limit?
The Attorney General referred the requester to an earlier opinion saying the listed search-warrant statute did not authorize inspection of homes to enforce that residential ordinance. It warned that…
Did a fire code inspector need a warrant solely because the inspector was also a police officer?
The Attorney General concluded that a recognized fire code official did not need a warrant solely because that official also held a law-enforcement commission when performing a regularly scheduled…
Is a marriage valid in Virginia if the couple got a Virginia license but had their ceremony in another state, with a Virginia-authorized officiant?
No. A minister or officiant authorized under § 20-23 or § 20-25 has authority only inside Virginia. A ceremony conducted in another state using a Virginia marriage license is not validly solemnized,…
Can Tennessee make it a crime for a sex offender stepparent to live with a minor by 'presuming' the prior victim was under 13, when the actual age cannot be proven?
No. The proposed amendment would have created an unconstitutional 'conclusive presumption' that the prior victim was under 13 whenever the State could not prove age from child pornography images.…
Can the Tennessee legislature require the Governor to appoint members of a state board only from a list of names submitted by a private trade or professional association?
Yes. Tennessee statutes that require the Governor to appoint state board or agency members from lists submitted by private trade associations are constitutional. The Governor still holds the…
Could a family obtain 911 recordings about a deceased relative’s emergency medical call?
The Attorney General concluded that the Felschow family could request and should receive the 911 calls about the father’s emergency. The opinion said family privacy interests could be waived and…
Can a Texas school district run payroll deductions for its employees' political action committee (PAC) contributions?
No. The Attorney General concluded that Texas law prohibits a school district from using its resources to process payroll deductions for contributions to political committees such as the TSTA-PAC…
Could a Kentucky school district advertise certified jobs district-wide before identifying the individual school building?
The AG concluded that Jefferson County Public Schools' district-wide posting of certified vacancies, followed by school-building details as openings became known, complied with KRS 160.380. The…
Could South Carolina’s DMV enter an FBI data-sharing agreement for Operation Driven?
The Attorney General reviewed the proposed Operation Driven memorandum and personal-information release agreement and found no conflict with South Carolina law. It agreed that the DMV could enter…
Could Tennessee require people to show proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote, and would the proposed bill (SB194/HB270) violate federal voting laws or the Constitution?
The citizenship-proof requirement itself, modeled on Arizona's law, would likely have survived facial challenge under the Fourteenth Amendment, the National Voter Registration Act, and the Voting…
In Tennessee, can a licensed practical nurse (LPN), not just a registered nurse (RN), supervise a certified medication aide who administers drugs in a nursing home?
Yes. The 2010 bill (SB3144/HB3368) would have clarified that either a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse can serve as the 'licensed nurse' supervising a certified medication aide. The AG…
Are red-light and speed-camera infraction notices public records in Florida, or confidential under driver-privacy law?
Yes. The office advised that section 119.0712(2), Florida Statutes, and the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act protect personal information held by the state motor vehicle department, but once…
Did South Carolina schools have to disclose employees earning more than fifty thousand dollars, including retirees on contracts?
The Attorney General concluded that school districts should release the requested salary list, including teachers and administrators in the TERI retirement program and former participants working on…
Can a Florida county require its own contractor license from a road contractor already prequalified by the state DOT?
Partly. The AG concluded that Bay County may require bidders on county bridge, road, street, highway, or railroad projects over $250,000 to be qualified, and may set its own prequalification…
Could a state disability-services employee also sit on the Calhoun County disabilities board?
The Attorney General concluded that the senior manager could serve on the county board without violating South Carolina’s dual-office prohibition. It treated the board seat as a public office but…
Could Surfside Beach council override its town administrator on department-head decisions?
The Attorney General predicted that council retained approval authority over appointment and removal of department heads under the town ordinance. It said the administrator could reprimand a…
Who pays a court interpreter for an indigent defendant in Tennessee, the county or the state's indigent defense fund?
Generally, the interpreter submits the claim directly to the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC). A county using credentialed interpreters full or part time may seek reimbursement under an…
Could Columbia City Council direct its police chief to transfer an elected official’s accident investigation to the Highway Patrol?
The Attorney General concluded that the city council could direct the chief to transfer the identified accident investigation to the State Highway Patrol and could adopt a rule for future accidents…
Can a Virginia circuit court clerk sign up for Westlaw or Lexis on behalf of the county law library, and does courthouse security keep the library from being 'public'?
Yes, under three routes: (1) local bar rules with court approval, (2) governing body authorization, or (3) the clerk's own § 42.1-65(C) authority for computer research services. Metal detectors and…
Can Tennessee's State Comptroller serve on a state procurement commission that the Comptroller's office also audits?
Yes. The Comptroller's service on a proposed State Procurement Commission would not violate Tennessee's separation of powers (the Comptroller's role is substantially executive). And serving on a…
When a parent dies, can Tennessee let the surviving grandparents skip part of the proof in a grandparent-visitation case?
Yes, the AG concluded SB 3036/HB 2700 would be constitutional. The bill would create a rebuttable presumption of substantial harm to the child when one parent has died and the surviving parent has…
Can the Tennessee legislature stop saying when a defendant's diversion statement is admissible at trial?
Yes, no separation-of-powers problem. HB 3283 would remove the existing legislative declaration that a defendant's pretrial-diversion statement is admissible only for impeachment if the defendant…
Can a Florida regional workforce development board take votes by proxy?
Probably not. The office gave informal comments because a majority of the board had not joined the request. It noted that special districts have only the powers expressly granted or necessarily…
Can a Texas court clerk apply a defendant's cash bail refund to their unpaid fines instead of giving it back?
No, not before the refund. The Attorney General concluded that under article 17.02 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a district clerk may not accept an assignment of a defendant's cash bail bond…
Does the Texas Youth Commission's sex-offender registration rule conflict with a juvenile court's power to defer a juvenile's registration?
Probably not. The Attorney General concluded that a court would likely hold that the Texas Youth Commission rule (37 Texas Administrative Code section 87.85(g)(3)), which directs TYC to register a…
Who would replace a South Carolina sheriff who resigned more than a year before the next election?
The Attorney General said the chief deputy or second-in-command would act as sheriff until the vacancy was filled, and the governor would appoint a suitable person pending a special election.…
Do my confidential tax returns stay private if I use them to appeal my property assessment to a value adjustment board?
Not once you submit them as evidence. In informal comments, the office explained that tax returns are confidential in the hands of the property appraiser under section 193.074, but its prior opinion…
Can a Tennessee public university make journalists agree to limits on how they use photos and video they take at football games?
Yes. UT athletic events require tickets or press credentials, and the university may condition media entry on accepting the credential's photo and video use rules. The opinion grounds that answer in…
Could the Shelby County School Board be converted into a Special School District in 2010, and would the proposed legislation to do so violate Tennessee's Home Rule Amendment?
Under 2010 Tennessee law, no new special school districts could be created, so Shelby County could not convert. Proposed legislation to allow conversion would not violate the Home Rule Amendment…
Did cigarettes passing through a South Carolina bonded warehouse need a listing in the state tobacco directory?
The Attorney General concluded that a brand manufactured elsewhere and shipped through a South Carolina bonded warehouse to other states did not need a South Carolina Tobacco Directory listing when…
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.