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.
Could a Louisiana juror demand cash instead of a check for jury service?
The AG said the statute set the amount of juror compensation but did not require payment in cash. A clerk of court therefore was not required to replace a juror's payment check with cash.
When could the public inspect counted absentee ballots in a Louisiana election?
The AG said counted absentee ballots became open to inspection after the election-contest filing period expired, or after final judgment in a filed contest, and remained available during the…
After Vermont passed its fingerprinting law, did liquor control investigators still get access to Criminal Information Center records, or were they suddenly cut off because their division didn't spend half its budget on criminal justice?
Yes, they still got access. AG Sorrell's office concluded that the new statute's term 'criminal justice agency' should not be read so literally as to cut off police agencies that the legislature had…
Could a South Carolina town condemn county land for a new road?
The 2001 AG said a town appeared to have statutory authority to condemn county property only if it was not already devoted to public use. Because public use depended on the facts, the opinion…
Did South Carolina counties need a second referendum for Sunday beer and wine permits?
The 2001 AG said a successful temporary permit referendum held after June 21, 1993 was enough to allow the special beer and wine permit under the 1996 amendment. A locality whose referendum was held…
Can a Texas county pay deputies for accrued vacation or comp time it didn't allow when the time was earned?
The Attorney General concluded no. Paying for accrued vacation or compensatory time that the county did not permit to be paid out when it accrued would be unconstitutional retroactive extra…
Could a South Carolina concealed weapon permit holder carry a gun into a bar or restaurant that served alcohol?
The 2001 AG said no. The prohibition on carrying a firearm into a business selling alcohol for on premises consumption applied even to valid concealed weapon permit holders, and the AG read it as a…
Can a Texas county limit which employee groups qualify for dues payroll deduction?
The Attorney General concluded yes. Because a commissioners court is not required to set up a dues payroll-deduction program at all, it may set one up subject to reasonable standards, such as…
Can a Texas city use its own crews to run utility lines to a new subdivision instead of hiring a contractor?
The Attorney General concluded yes. Local Government Code sections 402.001 and 402.002 give a city express authority to own, construct, and operate utility systems, so a city may extend utility…
Can a Texas county make a plat-revision applicant pay for the cost of the required public notice?
The Attorney General concluded no. A county can charge a fee only when a statute or the constitution expressly authorizes it, and no provision lets a commissioners court charge an applicant for the…
Were riverboat casinos' quarterly payments to vendors public records in Louisiana?
The AG said the exact amounts paid to individual vendors in riverboat compliance reports were confidential financial records under the Gaming Control Law. He concluded that the Public Records Act…
Could Louisiana pay state purchasing-card bills that arose before a new appropriations act took effect?
The AG said bills accrued after the fiscal year began could be paid once the appropriations act became effective, if the act covered that period. No state treasury funds could be withdrawn before…
Could a Louisiana levee district build ramps over levee servitudes for landowners?
The AG said the district could cooperate with landowners on crossings and ramps if its board properly found that doing so was the best and most efficient way to maintain the levees. The AG left the…
Can a Texas county bail bond board consider an independent appraisal of a bondsman's property?
The Attorney General concluded that a county bail bond board may not require a license applicant to submit an independent appraisal of real property pledged as security, because the board cannot add…
Who controls the money when a Texas county prosecutor waives part of their state salary supplement?
The Attorney General concluded that funds from a county prosecutor's partial waiver of annual compensation under Government Code chapter 46 are received by the county, not the prosecutor, and are…
Can a Texas county with a state mental hospital charge other counties a document-prep fee for commitment hearings?
The Attorney General concluded no. The cost a prosecutor's office spends preparing documents for a mental-health proceeding is part of the statutory prosecutor's fee under Health and Safety Code…
Could a South Carolina county pay its veterans affairs officer for more than 45 days of military leave?
The 2001 AG said neither the county nor its legislative delegation could extend that officer’s paid military leave beyond the forty-five days allowed under Section 8-7-90. The officer served as a…
Could coordinated insurance claims practices violate Louisiana antitrust law without a formal plan?
The AG answered yes to the senator's hypothetical about practices like those described in a federal consent judgment. The opinion said the alleged price-fixing and market-allocation claims also…
Did South Carolina law allow cockfighters to “test” birds against each other?
The 2001 AG said no. Putting birds against each other as a test amounted to engaging in cockfighting under § 16-17-650. The opinion said the farm animal protection law did not authorize testing and…
Could county inspectors inspect an exempt South Carolina school building at the school’s request?
The 2001 AG said a school district could ask local building officials for a voluntary inspection even without opting into local ordinances. The inspectors could not demand local permits or exercise…
When did ordinary bills from Kentucky’s 2001 legislative session take effect?
The Attorney General calculated June 21, 2001 as the effective date for ordinary laws passed in Kentucky’s 2001 regular session. General appropriation bills and acts with emergency or delayed…
Does the New York county clerk have to index Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS) as the mortgagee when MERS is just a nominee and has no actual interest in the loan?
No. The AG concluded the Nassau County Clerk has no obligation to record MERS as the mortgagee of record where MERS has no legal interest in the mortgage. Doing so would violate Real Property Law §…
Can the same person in Texas be both a city mayor and a director of a hospital district?
The Attorney General concluded no. Under the common-law doctrine of incompatibility, specifically its 'conflicting loyalties' branch, one individual could not at the same time serve as mayor of La…
Can a Texas economic development corporation use 4A sales tax money to fund a nonprofit's job-training or rehabilitation facility?
The Attorney General concluded a 4A development corporation may spend sales-tax proceeds on a rehabilitation and job-training facility only if its board of directors reasonably finds, on the facts,…
Did a South Carolina supervised lender license exempt a company from all mortgage broker rules?
The 2001 AG said the Department of Consumer Affairs reasonably limited the exemption to activity within a supervised lender’s existing license. It predicted a court would be unlikely to overturn…
Can Texas district judges raise the county auditor's salary after the budget year has already started?
The Attorney General concluded yes. The district judges who appoint a county auditor and the assistant auditors may amend their salaries even after the county budget is approved and the new budget…
Can a Texas community college district lower its property tax rate after it has already set it and mailed the bills?
The Attorney General concluded no. The Tax Code does not expressly let a community college district voluntarily reduce its adopted tax rate in the same tax year, and that authority cannot be…
Could a Louisiana fire protection district build a station on privately leased land?
The AG said a fire district could lease private land and use public funds to build a fire station there. He found no public-bid requirement for the lease or state-law maximum that barred a 50-year…
Could a Louisiana police chief ignore an after-hours crime call after working forty hours?
The AG did not give a blanket rule for every after-hours call. He said a chief retained lawful enforcement duties despite delegation, and intentional failure to perform a required duty could…
Could a Louisiana police juror use a parish vehicle, claim mileage, and serve as parish manager?
The AG said a juror could use a parish vehicle for official work but could not collect mileage for that travel. A juror could also be employed as parish manager or assistant manager, with the…
Could a retired Louisiana state trooper's former wife receive his survivor pension?
The AG said a former wife was not the surviving spouse eligible for benefits under R.S. 11:1322 when the retired trooper died. The opinion assumed there was no property settlement requiring a…
Could New Iberia adopt its proposed change to franchise voting rules?
The AG could not approve New Iberia's proposed charter amendment as consistent with state law because R.S. 33:4341 still required voter approval for specified sales or leases of revenue-producing…
Did an Ascension Parish Council committee need public meeting notice if it had fewer than a council quorum?
The AG said a council committee that deliberated to advise the full council was subject to the Open Meetings Law when a majority of the committee's own members were present. Having fewer than a…
Could a Louisiana district court probation department buy land for its own offices?
The AG said neither the probation department nor the district court had authority to buy the land. The department had no separate contracting capacity; parishes were responsible for furnishing…
Could a Louisiana village accept an anonymous gift earmarked to pay its auditor?
The AG said Killian could accept an anonymous donation designated for a lawful village expense. He found no legal requirement for the donor to reveal an identity on the facts presented.
Could a Louisiana police jury reject a district attorney's court-approved expense requests?
The AG said district judges initially decided which district attorney expenses were lawful and reasonable, based on itemization sufficient for the judge. The police jury could not revisit an amount…
Could a Louisiana recreation district send dedicated tax revenue to a town's recreation facility?
The AG said LaSalle Parish Recreation District 22 could send part of its dedicated tax proceeds to Urania to equip, maintain, and operate a facility inside the district, but not for another purpose.…
Did the Calcasieu sheriff receive a conviction fee for citations issued by state or city police?
The 2001 opinion said the sheriff received the fee under R.S. 33:1432(8) only for convictions arising from original citations issued by the sheriff's office, because the fee compensated services…
Could employees of a South Carolina county EMS association join the state health and dental plan?
The 2001 AG deferred to the Budget and Control Board’s decision that Midlands EMS staff were ineligible. The opinion said political subdivision status did not itself qualify the association; the…
How must a Texas public funds investment pool like TexPool calculate the maturity it discloses to investors?
The Attorney General concluded that section 2256.016 of the Government Code requires TexPool to calculate the 'maximum average dollar-weighted maturity' of its portfolio using the stated (final)…
Which judge is the 'presiding judge' who can appoint a master for a mental-health probable-cause hearing in Texas?
The Attorney General concluded that the 'presiding judge' in section 574.025(c), who may decide to have a probable-cause hearing held before a master rather than a magistrate, is the judge of the…
Does converting a manufactured-home loan lien into a real-property lien create a valid homestead lien in Texas?
The Attorney General concluded it does not. Article XVI, section 50 of the Texas Constitution allows a 'purchase money' lien on a homestead only to the extent the debt was used to buy the land and…
Could a South Carolina technical college employee sit on the commission that governed the college?
The 2001 AG said no. The employee would be both governed by and a member of the governing commission, which could hire, fire, and set pay for the position; the common law master-servant rule barred…
Could Louisiana's human rights commission keep investigating a discrimination complaint after the employer filed bankruptcy?
The AG said the commission could continue its discrimination investigation under the bankruptcy stay's government regulatory-power exception. It could not file the complainant's bankruptcy claim for…
Could Hammond's city council give its president powers beyond the home rule charter?
The AG said Hammond's council could not delegate its legislative functions to the council president without charter authorization. He found no such authorization in Hammond's charter beyond the…
Could a South Carolina county council chair also serve on the state foresters registration board?
The 2001 AG said that simultaneous service would violate South Carolina’s dual office holding rule. Prior opinions treated county council membership as a public office, and the AG found the…
Could North Myrtle Beach police patrol the stretch of Highway 17 inside Atlantic Beach?
The 2001 AG said the shared road boundary statute did not give North Myrtle Beach concurrent jurisdiction over the one third mile of Highway 17 inside Atlantic Beach. The provision reached a right…
Could a Louisiana home held in trust qualify for the homestead exemption?
The AG reiterated that trust-held property qualified only when the settlor was also a trustee or the settlor's spouse was the principal beneficiary, subject to the other homestead requirements. The…
Could St. Landry Parish abolish its District Five road commission and take its taxes?
The AG said the parish could not abolish this legislatively created district on its own. He identified a constitutional merger route requiring voter approval in both the parish and the affected…
Could a Louisiana registrar of voters also serve on the State Mineral Board?
The AG said no. Under the Election Code provision he applied, the prospective registrar had to relinquish his State Mineral Board appointment before becoming registrar. A sitting registrar could run…
Could a Connecticut mail-order liquor seller keep a hidden package store, and how often must a cafe offer food?
The AG said a package store could not be a nearly invisible permit location serving only mail-order sales; it had to be open and accessible to the public. He declined to decide whether a cafe…
Are landscape architects in North Carolina legally allowed to design street and storm water drainage systems for subdivision developments, or is that work limited to licensed professional engineers?
The AG concluded that detailed drawings and calculations for street design and storm drainage systems, including subsurface systems and structures, fell within engineering practice rather than…
What powers did an elected Louisiana police chief have over investigations, spending, and town records?
The AG said investigations needed a legitimate basis, police spending had to fit the approved budget and warrant rules, and the town clerk kept municipal records including vehicle titles. He allowed…
Could Plaquemines Parish charge landfill, boat-launch, and oyster-tag fees?
The AG rejected the three proposed charges as described. He said existing litter law addressed debris from landfill traffic, state watercraft regulation barred the proposed boat fees, and state…
Could a Kenner council member also be a deputy constable or hold an honorary constable title?
The 2001 opinion allowed a council member to serve as deputy constable only if that appointment was part time. An honorary title was allowed if it carried no actual constable powers or duties; lack…
Could Connecticut pay for National Guard deployment or replacement staff during a nursing home strike?
The AG said federal labor law sharply limited state spending that could affect a private strike. He did not decide whether paying for the Guard or replacement workers met the narrow life-and-health…
Could Connecticut deploy the National Guard during a nursing home strike without violating federal labor law?
The AG said federal labor law permitted state action during a private strike only in extremely narrow circumstances to protect residents from direct, imminent danger. He did not decide whether…
Would Washington’s proposed tax on motor fuel have to be spent only on highways?
The Attorney General concluded in 2001 that a true per-gallon fuel tax had to support highway purposes, while an ordinary value-based sales tax generally did not. The proposed capped wholesale tax…
Did every co-owner have to consent to a Louisiana coastal restoration project's access?
The AG said unanimous consent was unnecessary for work that preserved co-owned property, but required for work affecting its use and management. Each project needed a factual assessment of its…
Did New Orleans charter-amendment signatures have to be gathered in person under Louisiana's petition statute?
The AG said New Orleans's pre-1974 home rule charter controlled this petition process. Its amendment petition went to the city council rather than the registrar for certification, so the…
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.