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.
Why was the proposed Arkansas constitutional amendment to overhaul the initiative and referendum process rejected by the Attorney General in March 2025?
AG Tim Griffin rejected the proposed popular name and ballot title for a constitutional amendment titled 'An Amendment to Amend the Initiative and Referendum Process.' The proposal had two material…
Did Greensburg's proposed town charter amendment pass the Louisiana attorney general's legal review?
Yes. After reviewing the Town of Greensburg's proposed charter amendment and the documents submitted with it, the attorney general found the amendment consistent with state and federal law. The…
Can an EPIC board member who works for a coal company sit on the executive committee if the employer sells coal to utilities?
Yes. The Attorney General concluded that a coal-producer's employee on the EPIC board may serve on the executive committee, as long as that individual personally has no current employment,…
Can a car manufacturer sell new vehicles directly to Kansas customers without going through a franchised dealer?
No. The Attorney General concluded that the Kansas Vehicle Dealers and Manufacturers Licensing Act only lets a dealer sell new vehicles if it holds a franchise agreement with the manufacturer, and a…
Can a Delaware city refuse to give me emails between its officials and a state legislator under FOIA?
Yes. The City of Milford properly withheld emails sent or received by State Representative Bryan Shupe under the legislative email exemption (29 Del. C. § 10002(o)(16)), even though the city…
Did Missouri approve the fiscal note summary for Damien Johnson's initiative petition 2026-029?
Yes. The attorney general approved the fiscal note summary's legal content and form; it estimated no state or local government costs or savings, and the review did not assess that estimate's…
Did Missouri approve the fiscal note summary for Damien Johnson's initiative petition 2026-026?
Yes. The attorney general approved the fiscal note summary's legal content and form; it estimated no state or local government costs or savings, and the review did not assess that estimate's…
Are the insurance certificates contractors submit to Louisiana's licensing board public records anyone can request?
Yes. Certificates of general liability and workers' compensation insurance that contractors submit for licensure are public records under Louisiana law, since no exemption covers them.
If a Delaware agency previously gave me a count of records as a courtesy, does FOIA force them to keep producing that count for me on request?
No. Delaware State Police did not violate FOIA when it stopped producing monthly counts of automatic expungements under the Clean Slate law (11 Del. C. § 4373A). DSP had been compiling the figures…
Can a Mississippi drainage district assess land outside its boundaries that benefits from district improvements?
Yes. Section 51-29-29 says that if a drainage district's commissioners find lands outside the district benefit from district improvements, they 'shall' assess those lands. Property owners get notice…
How much can a Mississippi city pay a county per day to hold a city's pretrial detainee or prisoner in the county jail?
Up to $25 per day for days one through thirty, and up to $32.71 per day for day 31 and beyond. Sections 19-25-73(3), 47-5-901, and 47-5-909 cap municipal payments to a county for housing municipal…
Can a Mississippi city contract with a private vendor to run an ALPR camera system that mails traffic tickets to uninsured drivers and offers a paid diversion program?
Mississippi cities are not explicitly prohibited from using ALPR cameras for no-insurance enforcement under the Home Rule statute, but whether an officer can establish probable cause that the owner…
Can a Mississippi county put circuit court and the district attorney's office in a new building separate from the courthouse?
Yes within limits. A Mississippi county may build a separate justice center and assign circuit court and DA functions to it. But Section 25-1-99 keeps circuit and chancery clerk offices at the…
Did Missouri approve the form of Bradley Ketcher's initiative petition 2026-033?
Yes. The attorney general approved petition 2026-033 as to form, but the secretary of state retained final authority to approve or reject it, and the opinion did not decide substantive sufficiency.
Can a South Carolina city hire a law firm (rather than a single attorney) to be its city attorney on a contract basis, and if a lawyer at the firm also sits on a school board, does that violate dual-office-holding rules?
Yes to both. Under S.C. Code § 5-7-230 and Home Rule, a SC municipality can contract with a law firm to serve as outside city attorney for civil matters only. Because the retention is by contract…
Can South Carolina ETV claim the revenue from a National Guard cell tower lease under a budget proviso that gives it general authority to coordinate state tower operations?
No. Budget Proviso § 8.4's general directive that SC ETV 'coordinate' state tower and antenna operations does not give ETV the revenue from the Adjutant General's Fort Mill cell tower lease. The…
Who has the legal authority to give a raise to a county tax collector's office staff or a county circuit clerk's office staff in Arkansas?
Only the quorum court can set and appropriate salary increases for employees of elected county officials. If a raise bypassed it, the county does not fund the increase until the court lawfully…
If I'm a contract poultry farmer in Arkansas and my contract requires me to mow around the chicken houses for biosecurity, can I buy a zero-turn mower sales-tax-free as farm equipment?
Probably yes, even though the Arkansas Department of Finance & Administration has historically said no. The AG broke with DFA, opining that a court would likely find a mower used only for…
In a Louisiana town with a special legislative charter, does the mayor have the authority to hire and fire municipal employees?
Yes, with limits. Under La. R.S. 33:481, when a special legislative charter is silent on a matter, the Lawrason Act fills the gap. La. R.S. 33:404(A)(3) gives the mayor authority to appoint and…
Can a Texas court order the DPS or the state vital statistics office to change the sex listed on a driver's license or birth certificate?
Not in the way described to the AG, the opinion concluded. The Department of Public Safety asked whether district courts can issue orders, in uncontested ex parte cases, that direct DPS and the…
Can a Mississippi county zoning enforcement officer keep her county job if she's elected to city council?
Yes. The Hancock County solid waste/zoning enforcement officer's duties (citizen complaints, field investigations, warning notices, documentation) are administrative, not policy-making at the upper…
Does South Carolina's Family Privacy Protection Act force a state licensing agency to hand over licensees' personal email addresses to a trade association that wants to promote continuing-education classes?
No. South Carolina's Family Privacy Protection Act does not require the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation to release licensees' personal email addresses, even when a third party says it…
Are Arkansas's two-year ban on former state legislators lobbying and one-year ban on former constitutional officers lobbying constitutional under the First Amendment?
The AG concluded a court would likely hold Arkansas's near-total one- and two-year lobbying registration bans unconstitutional under the First Amendment. He answered 'Possibly' for the separate…
Can a Tennessee county school system refuse to enroll students who live inside a separate municipal school district, or stop providing services to those students?
Generally yes, with important exceptions. Counties retain broad discretion over out-of-district enrollment, subject to specific protections for homeless and foster-care students and some military…
If a city loses my records request submitted through its online form, can it wait two months to answer?
No. Mandan took more than two months to answer a records request sent through its online form. The officer who received it suspected it had been unintentionally deleted. The AG found the delay…
What can a North Dakota school district legally charge for fulfilling an open records request, and what fees are off-limits?
A school district may charge for copying, locating and excising confidential records. Locating and excising fees are capped at $25 per hour after the first hour of each task. This district could not…
If a North Dakota township posts its meeting notice in the newspaper and on its website but not at the meeting site, is the meeting still validly noticed?
Yes. Substantial compliance is enough. Posting in the newspaper and on the website covered the requirement, even though no notice was posted at the school where the meeting was held. But the same…
What does a North Dakota public board have to do before going into closed session to talk to its lawyer?
Give notice of the session, then announce its topics and legal authority in the open meeting and take a recorded roll call vote when required. The AG found that only about 90 seconds of this…
Why did Missouri reject Damien Johnson's initiative petition 2026-030?
The attorney general rejected petition 2026-030 because its summary sheet listed the general election date incorrectly. The opinion did not review whether other deficiencies existed.
If Delaware police were called about me but no crime was charged, can I FOIA the body camera footage of that encounter?
The AG found no FOIA violation when Newark denied Smith's requests for body-camera footage and related 911 audio. The City's sworn response linked those records to a police response to a…
How long can a North Dakota township take to respond to an open records request before the delay becomes a violation?
Reasonable response is usually measured in hours or days, not weeks. A six-week delay was unreasonable, even when the township blamed the unexpected resignation of the treasurer who managed its…
Does a North Dakota city council have to put the meeting location on its public notices, even when meetings always happen in the same place?
Yes. Location is a 'material element' of meeting notice under N.D.C.C. § 44-04-20. Habit cannot substitute. Special meetings must also be noticed to the local newspaper.
Does a federally registered political action committee that files campaign reports under one North Dakota statute get out of filing under another?
No. A PAC registered with the Federal Election Commission that files independent-expenditure reports under N.D.C.C. § 16.1-08.1-03.7 still has to file the regular campaign disclosure statements…
What exactly must a Texas school board vote on to comply with the SB 763 school chaplain law?
The board has to vote on whether to authorize a 'school chaplain position', the substantive role created by SB 763, where the chaplain provides chaplain-related support, services, and programs to…
Can a Texas county commissioner also serve as the chief of the local volunteer fire department?
Yes. The Texas Constitution's ban on holding more than one office expressly excepts county commissioners, so it does not apply. And the common-law incompatibility doctrine does not bar the dual…
Can the same person be the administrative assistant for both a Texas county judge and the county attorney?
Yes, as a threshold matter. Neither the constitutional ban on holding two offices nor the common-law incompatibility doctrine prevents it, because an administrative assistant is an employee, not a…
Can a guardian make a mentally incapacitated ward use a lawyer, or represent the ward themselves in court?
It depends on the type of case. A probate court's finding that someone is incapacitated does not by itself decide whether the ward can represent themselves in a criminal case; that call belongs to…
If a Delaware licensing board posts its meeting agenda only thirty minutes before the meeting starts, has it violated FOIA?
Yes. The Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners posted its February 5 agenda only thirty minutes before the meeting, below FOIA's six-hour deadline for adding an agenda that was unavailable when the…
Can a Mississippi school district adopt eligibility limits and caps on donated leave for catastrophic illness?
Mostly no. A Mississippi school board cannot adopt donated-leave rules that are stricter than what Section 37-7-307 allows. Eligibility, maximums received, and the donate-after-notice question are…
When can a Tennessee property assessor reassess a property between scheduled reappraisal years if the owner remodeled, replaced a roof, or added an HVAC system?
Only when the work is a true 'improvement' that adds value, beauty, utility, or new uses, not when it is repair or replacement. The assessor reassesses the new improvement only, not the property as…
Can Kentucky game wardens enforce Kentucky's fishing, hunting, and boating laws across the whole width of the Ohio River, into Ohio, Indiana, or Illinois waters?
No, not under current law. The Attorney General concluded that Kentucky's fish, game, and boating laws apply only within Kentucky's borders, which on the Ohio River means south of the low-water line…
Did Missouri approve the form of Damien Johnson's initiative petition 2026-029?
Yes. The attorney general approved petition 2026-029 as to form, but the secretary of state retained final authority to approve or reject it, and the opinion did not decide substantive sufficiency.
Why did Missouri reject Damien Johnson's initiative petition 2026-027?
The attorney general rejected petition 2026-027 because the proposed measure did not include a section number. The opinion did not review whether other deficiencies existed.
Did Missouri approve the form of Damien Johnson's initiative petition 2026-026?
Yes. The attorney general approved petition 2026-026 as to form, but the secretary of state retained final authority to approve or reject it, and the opinion did not decide substantive sufficiency.
When a Delaware city manager and parks staff meet privately with a charter school to talk about converting a public park into baseball fields, does that count as a 'public body' meeting that has to be open under FOIA?
No. The Newark City Manager, Parks Director, and Deputy Parks Director can meet with Newark Charter School representatives to explore a parkland proposal without triggering FOIA's open meetings…
Does sponsoring a federally-funded dike project make a West Virginia county commission the owner of the dike, and how long does the commission's duty to maintain the dike last?
No, sponsorship does not make the County Commission the owner. Federal regulations distinguish between project sponsors and landowners (landusers); the City of Parsons holds title to the dike. The…
Can Tennessee enforce its weather-modification ban on activities like cloud seeding when the chemicals are released in federally controlled airspace?
It depends. The AG says a court is likely to allow enforcement against ground-based weather-modification activity and that preemption problems there appear unlikely. Aircraft-related enforcement…
Can St. Bernard Parish merge its protected port district into parish government by popular vote?
No. The Attorney General concluded that St. Bernard Parish cannot merge its deep-water port district into parish government by majority vote of the electorate. Louisiana's Constitution protects port…
If I'm in a Delaware civil case from a car crash, can I FOIA the police body camera and dashboard footage instead of going through court discovery?
No. Delaware State Police properly denied an attorney's FOIA request for body camera, dashboard camera, and photo records from a 2023 accident, even though the lawyer was representing a party in…
If a state agency stores its data in a database owned and operated by a private vendor, can a Delaware FOIA requester force the agency to hand over the database structure?
No. The Delaware Department of Insurance did not violate FOIA when it denied a request for database names, table names, and field structures, because the databases that hold its insurance data are…
Did Missouri approve the summary statement for adding sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, and gender identity protections?
Yes. The attorney general approved the proposed summary statement's legal content and form; it described adding four protected categories in housing, employment, and public accommodations.
Did Missouri approve the summary statement for a proposal recognizing marriage between any two consenting adults?
Yes. The attorney general approved the proposed summary statement's legal content and form; it described changing Missouri's marriage definition from a man and a woman to any two consenting adults.
Can a justice of the peace constable in one Louisiana parish also work as a part-time deputy sheriff in a different parish?
Yes. The Louisiana Dual Officeholding and Dual Employment Law does not bar an elected constable from also holding a part-time appointive position in a different political subdivision. A Tangipahoa…
Can a Louisiana parish council member also work for the district attorney's office in the same parish?
For the full-time DA position described, not if it is an appointive office (stenographer, clerk, secretary, special officer, or investigator) or if the position's salary is funded by the parish…
Can Livingston Parish's chief of staff also serve on the Denham Springs City Council, and when must he abstain from voting?
The attorney general said the two positions were permitted under the dual-officeholding law on the duties described: the chief of staff role was parish employment, not an appointive office, and the…
Can a Kansas city let golf carts share a sidewalk-style path with pedestrians?
No, not on any part of a path that counts as a sidewalk. The Attorney General concluded that K.S.A. 8-1575 bans driving any vehicle, including a golf cart, on a sidewalk, and that a city cannot pass…
If a Delaware committee's agenda lists 'public education campaign' as a topic, can it vote at the meeting to appoint a liaison without separately listing that vote on the agenda?
Yes. The Dewey Beach Climate Change Committee's agenda discussion of the public education campaign was specific enough that appointing a coordination liaison was a foreseeable consequence. The…
Did the Arkansas AG approve the ballot title for 'The Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2026,' which would require non-public schools that take state funds (or state tax credits) to meet the same academic and accreditation standards as public schools, and expand state education obligations?
Yes. The AG certified the popular name and ballot title as submitted because they were identical to the name and title he had substituted and certified in Opinion No. 2024-079. He cautioned that…
Can the Texas Ethics Commission give itself more time to act on a complaint by adopting a tolling rule?
No. The Government Code gives the Commission a hard 120-day deadline to either propose a settlement or dismiss a complaint after a respondent answers, and the only tolling the statute allows is…
Is the Jackpocket lottery app legal in New Mexico, or does it violate state lottery and gambling laws and trigger renegotiation of the Indian Gaming Compact?
It is likely illegal. The AG concluded the Jackpocket app constitutes 'internet gaming,' which triggers the Tribal-State Class III Gaming Compact's renegotiation clause. The app also likely violates…
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.