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 an arrest on a bench warrant, could a South Carolina municipal judge other than the sentencing judge accept the fine?
The AG said it appeared that a defendant arrested on a bench warrant would have to return to the original sentencing judge to pay a fine or have imprisonment imposed, even if that judge was…
Did a South Carolina TERI participant’s employment end when the program period expired, even at a county affiliated agency?
The AG concluded that the requester’s employment ended when his TERI program period ended, even though he was not a state or county employee. The employer could choose to rehire him if the…
Can Texas legalize electronic pull-tab bingo without amending its constitution?
No. The Attorney General concluded that a Texas court would hold that 'bingo' in article III, section 47(b) of the Texas Constitution, the provision that lets the Legislature authorize charitable…
Can the same person be a Texas county constable and a groundwater district board member?
No. The Attorney General concluded that article XVI, section 40(a) of the Texas Constitution, which bars anyone from holding more than one civil office of emolument at the same time, prevents one…
Can a Texas navigation district adopt an over-65 or disabled homestead tax freeze?
No. The Attorney General concluded that article VIII, section 1-b(h) of the Texas Constitution, which lets certain taxing entities freeze property taxes on the homesteads of people who are disabled…
Could Connecticut pay a veterans-organization funeral honor guard less than fifty dollars a day in 2007?
No. Under the statute analyzed in 2007, the AG concluded that qualifying veterans-organization honor guard members had to be paid fifty dollars per day for the covered funeral service; the Adjutant…
Can an acting city manager also serve on a metropolitan transit authority board in Texas?
Yes, in the situation presented. The Attorney General concluded that the common-law doctrine of incompatibility does not bar an acting city manager who serves under an employment agreement, at the…
Can a charity get a Texas property tax exemption for a building it can't yet occupy?
It depends on the facts, and the chief appraiser decides. The Attorney General explained that an unoccupied building is not automatically disqualified from the charitable property tax exemption:…
Can a Texas assistant police chief also serve as the city administrator?
Not at the same time. The Attorney General concluded that League City's Assistant Chief of Police, who took a paid leave of absence to act as interim City Administrator, was not in a civil service…
Which Greenville County office was responsible for acting on a returned check first received by the register of deeds?
The AG concluded that Greenville County’s deed office was responsible for initiating action on a returned check because it was the office that first received the check, even though it later…
Was a pistol-grip weapon that fired shotgun shells a short-barreled shotgun under Washington’s 2007 statute?
The Attorney General concluded in 2007 that a weapon never originally intended to be fired from the shoulder was not a statutory shotgun and therefore was not a short-barreled shotgun under the…
Could South Carolina’s Department of Mental Health use appropriated funds to market the Bull Street property for sale?
The AG concluded that the Department of Mental Health could use legislatively appropriated funds to prepare and market the Bull Street property for sale. He read the charitable trust recognized by…
Could a South Carolina legislator rent property to a tenant using Section 8 housing assistance?
The AG found no South Carolina law barring the legislator from renting to a tenant receiving Section 8 assistance, while noting state ethics restrictions. He read the federal conflict rule as…
Could a South Carolina fire commissioner also serve as a volunteer firefighter in the same department?
The AG concluded that South Carolina’s constitutional dual-office rule did not itself bar a fire commissioner from serving as a volunteer firefighter. If the commission supervised firefighters,…
When did ordinary laws from Kentucky's 2007 regular legislative session take effect?
The AG said ordinary 2007 regular-session acts became effective at the first moment of June 26, 2007, after 90 full days following final adjournment. It excluded general appropriation measures and…
Does a Texas school district have to switch to four-year trustee terms for joint elections?
Sometimes, yes. The Attorney General concluded that Education Code section 11.0581 requires an independent school district to hold its trustee elections jointly, on the same uniform election date as…
Could Hartford administer Section 8 vouchers in towns outside its city limits?
The Attorney General declined to decide the geographic question. He described Hartford's HUD-approved voucher mobility program and the city's general contracting powers, but said his office lacked…
Could a South Carolina school district employee be appointed to the State Board of Funeral Service?
The AG found no statute automatically barring government employees from the State Board of Funeral Service. He thought the requester’s school district purchasing job was likely employment rather…
Could Connecticut's Child Advocate obtain medical records needed for an investigation without patient consent?
Yes, for records necessary to the Child Advocate's statutory duties under the law analyzed in 2007. The AG concluded that Connecticut's access law brought those disclosures within HIPAA's…
Could South Carolina’s Commission on Higher Education release student-level data under FOIA and FERPA?
The AG concluded that the Commission on Higher Education was a public body under South Carolina FOIA, with records generally subject to disclosure unless an exception applied. He said statistical…
Could one person serve on Cayce’s accommodations tax committee and the Lexington County Recreation Commission?
The AG concluded that serving on both bodies did not violate the dual-office rule because Cayce’s tax committee was advisory, while the recreation commission was a public office. He said possible…
Could South Carolina First Steps require families to provide Social Security numbers to receive its services?
The AG thought a court would likely find First Steps was not a government agency covered by Section 7 of the federal Privacy Act, so the Act would not bar requiring participants’ Social Security…
Could a registered South Carolina lobbyist serve on a county transportation committee?
The AG concluded that the state law barring lobbyists from state boards and commissions did not prevent a legislative delegation from appointing a registered lobbyist to a county transportation…
Did a pardon end South Carolina sex offender registration and re-registration duties in 2007?
The AG concluded that the registered person still had to re-register under the law then in force despite receiving a pardon. The opinion identified exceptions where the pardon specifically stated a…
After Cannon, which South Carolina parolees could be required to provide DNA samples, and could SLED retain earlier samples?
The AG concluded that Cannon barred requiring samples from people released on parole before July 1, 2000 who had not already provided one. Under the 2004 amendment, new demands applied to qualifying…
Could a South Carolina municipal judge hold a bond hearing outside city limits for a hospitalized or transferred defendant?
The AG said a municipal judge generally lacked authority to travel outside city limits to hold a bond hearing without a special grant of authority. He suggested State Court Administration guidance…
How soon after arrest did a South Carolina defendant have to receive a bond hearing in 2007?
The AG concluded that a defendant charged with a bailable offense had to receive a bond hearing within twenty-four hours of arrest, a limit for law enforcement as well as magistrates. For…
Could South Carolina legislators elect a transportation commissioner by circulating a letter instead of holding a public meeting?
The AG concluded that Section 57-1-325 required a written call, notice to every eligible legislator, and a physically convened public meeting to elect a district transportation commissioner. He…
Can a Texas county take money from a jail inmate's account for past medical bills?
Yes, with due process. The Attorney General concluded that a county may deduct from a county-jail inmate's commissary or trust account the funds needed to recover the cost of medical, dental, or…
How can a Texas county legally sell seized eight-liner gambling machines?
By competitive bid or auction, not a private bulk sale. The Attorney General concluded that article 18.18 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows forfeited gambling contraband to be…
If a credit reporting agency or consumer reporting business does work that goes beyond ordinary credit reporting (like skip tracing, asset searches, or background investigations) does it need a Georgia private detective license, even though it's exempt from licensure for normal credit reporting work?
Yes. The FCRA exemption in O.C.G.A. § 43-38-14(a)(2) covers only the activities that fit within the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act framework, credit transactions, employment, insurance…
Which misdemeanor offenses created in the 2006 Georgia legislative session require fingerprinting at booking, and which don't?
The opinion designates 14 of 16 reviewed offenses for fingerprinting. The only two not designated are unauthorized structures in a highway right-of-way under O.C.G.A. § 32-6-51(f) and unlicensed…
Could Hilton Head Island fund youth sports travel or pay a nonprofit to organize a holiday parade?
The AG said recreation and civic events could serve a public purpose, and a town could contract with a nonprofit to run a qualifying event. Whether paying a youth team’s travel costs benefited the…
Could Sumter County exceed South Carolina’s millage cap to buy development rights near Shaw Air Force Base?
The AG concluded that the proposed purchase of residential development rights near Shaw Air Force Base did not fit the cited exceptions to South Carolina’s millage increase limit. He suggested the…
Were South Carolina restaurants taxed when buying napkins, straws, forks and spoons from wholesalers?
The AG concluded that a wholesaler’s sale of napkins, forks, spoons and straws to a restaurant was taxable at the time of sale. He found no difference between supplies used by dine-in customers and…
When a New York public authority transfers state-owned land to a city, a railroad, or a hydropower developer, does it have to put the property out for public bidding at fair market value?
It depends on the deal. Transactions specifically authorized by Canal Law sections 53 and 54 (railroad conveyances and hydropower easements) do not have to be publicly bid or priced at fair market…
Can a small Delaware town charge thousands of dollars in staff time before it will hand over public records?
No, the AG found. Because the Town of Bridgeville had no written FOIA fee schedule, it could only charge the actual cost of photocopying, not the $11,383 in estimated staff labor it demanded up…
Was Maine's proposed LD 275, expanding admissibility of child sexual abuse victims' hearsay statements, constitutional under Crawford v. Washington?
Likely yes, with drafting fixes. The AG concluded that LD 275 would probably survive Sixth Amendment review under Crawford and Roberts, but recommended rewriting it to track the case-law standards…
Can Oregon's Construction Contractors Board suspend a contractor's license for not paying a civil penalty for failing to fill out a prevailing wage rate survey?
No. The 2007 AG opinion concluded that responding to a BOLI prevailing-wage survey was not a 'construction activity,' so an unpaid civil penalty for failing to respond was not a 'construction debt'…
If a state university building is damaged, can the State Board of Higher Education repair it itself instead of filing a claim with the state Insurance Fund?
Generally no. The 2007 AG opinion concluded that the Department of Administrative Services could require the Board of Higher Education to file a property damage claim with the state Insurance Fund…
Can a hearing officer or DMV reduce a mandatory Oregon driver's license suspension if the driver shows up at the hearing with a good excuse?
No. The 2007 AG opinion concluded that ORS 809.440(1)(d) did not give DMV (or an Administrative Law Judge running the hearing) discretion to skip a suspension that ORS 809.409 to 809.423 made…
Can a Texas open-enrollment charter school have its own police department?
No. The Attorney General concluded that the Education Code does not authorize an open-enrollment charter school to operate or maintain a commissioned police force. Section 37.081 gives that power to…
Can a pardoned person collect wrongful-imprisonment compensation if they served a concurrent sentence for another crime?
Yes, in this situation. The Attorney General concluded the Comptroller may approve a chapter 103 wrongful-imprisonment claim even though the claimant served a concurrent prison sentence for an…
Did a Kentucky Medicaid recipient employing a consumer-directed caregiver need workers' compensation coverage?
No, for the consumer-directed services described. The AG concluded that KRS 205.5607 exempted the recipient-provider relationship under KRS 205.5606 from the workers' compensation chapter, even if a…
Could Connecticut higher education officials require colleges to turn over students' private financial aid data?
In 2007, Connecticut colleges had to give state higher education officials information necessary for their oversight work if it was not personally identifiable confidential student or family data.…
Could South Carolina Workforce Investment Board members attend, count toward quorum and vote by telephone?
The AG believed South Carolina FOIA permitted a properly noticed telephone conference meeting, with remote members counting and voting if the meeting was valid. Because the board also had a federal…
If a Delaware board's own bylaws set a lower quorum than what a later change in the enabling statute requires, which one controls?
The statute does, according to this opinion. When the legislature increased the size of Delaware State University's Board of Trustees without updating the specific quorum statute, the AG found the…
Can a Texas teacher or school employee be paid to serve on a city council?
Generally not as a salary. Under article XVI, section 40(b) of the Texas Constitution, a person paid by the state can serve on a local governing body but cannot receive a salary for that service,…
Was a South Carolina court required to notify a crime victim’s attorney of every hearing after the attorney appeared?
The AG found no absolute statutory requirement for a clerk or summary court to notify a crime victim’s attorney of every hearing. He concluded that, after a formal notice of appearance, providing…
Can a Texas city loan public money to a private developer for a housing project?
Yes, if the project promotes economic development. The Attorney General concluded that article III, section 52-a of the Texas Constitution and Local Government Code section 380.001 let a city make a…
Could a water district manager represent the district on a county water authority board?
The California Attorney General concluded in 2007 that a general manager or department head of a member water agency, or a city manager or department head of a member city, could sit on the county…
Can a Texas city use assessment money to build a seawall on private property?
Not without first getting a legal interest in the land. The Attorney General concluded that a city cannot build and fund a seawall under the public improvement district assessment laws (Local…
Could a local jail prisoner convicted of failing to register as a sex offender earn good time credit?
The AG concluded that a person sentenced to a local correctional facility for failing to register as a sex offender could earn statutory good-behavior credits. He treated the ban on suspending the…
Could a South Carolina school board require a political party to show liability insurance for a precinct meeting?
The AG concluded that school boards could require proof of liability insurance for political parties using school buildings for precinct meetings. He said the requirement had to be applied equally…
Is an eight-liner that pays out on a stored-value card a gambling device in Texas?
Yes. The Attorney General concluded that a stored-value card a player can use to buy merchandise works as a medium of exchange, which makes it a cash equivalent rather than a 'noncash merchandise…
Can a Texas city ban registered sex offenders from living near schools and parks?
It depends on the type of city. The Attorney General concluded that a home-rule municipality may adopt an ordinance keeping registered sex offenders from living a set distance from places where…
Can Texas ban mail-order hearing aid sales?
No, those rules are federally preempted. The Attorney General concluded that two Occupations Code provisions, one requiring an audiological evaluation before a mail-ordered hearing aid is fitted…
Can you get a free transcript for a Texas driver's license suspension appeal if you can't afford it?
No. The Attorney General concluded that the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) does not have to provide a free transcript of a driver's license suspension hearing when someone appeals,…
Can a Texas county pay an official's criminal defense legal fees?
It can choose to, but it doesn't have to. The Attorney General concluded a Texas county has no statutory or common-law duty to pay for the criminal defense of its officers and employees (the duty to…
Was a McCormick County magistrate paid above base salary entitled to the state employee cost-of-living raise?
The AG concluded that the magistrate was not entitled to the four percent cost-of-living raise for classified state employees. A magistrate earning above the statutory base was instead entitled to…
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.