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.
Can a Mississippi city forgive part of an under-billed water bill if the customer's water pressure was so low she barely received service?
The AG concluded that a Mississippi municipality could compromise an under-billed utility account, including the meter demand fee, when the customer credibly received minimal or no benefit from the…
Does a Mississippi regional railroad authority have to get a full CPA audit each year, or is a CPA 'review' enough?
Neither is statutorily required as such. AG Hood concluded that a Mississippi regional railroad authority's only annual reporting duty under § 19-29-45 is to file a general report of activities; the…
Can a Mississippi town sign a 15-year energy savings agreement with a private vendor that would bind the next Board to keep paying after this Board's term ends?
Yes, if the agreement is structured under § 31-7-14, which expressly authorizes energy-efficiency contracts up to 20 years and overrides the usual rule that one municipal board cannot bind a…
Can a Mississippi county board of supervisors appoint an attorney who lives outside the county to serve as the appointed county prosecutor?
Yes. AG Hood concluded that under § 19-3-49 Miss. Code, an appointed county prosecuting attorney does not hold a constitutional 'office,' so the qualified-elector residency requirement in Article 12…
Can a Delaware charter-school board hold a meeting in a locked building, and can it go into executive session without putting that on the agenda?
Mostly no. The Odyssey Charter School Board violated FOIA by holding an executive session at the December 3, 2019 meeting without including it on the agenda. The locked-building location did not…
Is the Delaware Prosperity Partnership, the state's economic-development nonprofit, subject to FOIA?
The AG held that the Delaware Prosperity Partnership was not a FOIA public body and did not have to answer the legislator’s requests for board treasurer reports and budget materials. The statute…
If a Minnesota county wants to set up an in-person absentee voting site, does it have to keep that site open for the full 46 days before the election, or can it open the site for just the last week of voting?
It depends on which statutory option the county auditor uses. Under Minn. Stat. § 203B.081, subd. 1, any site dedicated to in-person absentee balloting must be open for the full 46-day period. But…
Can a Texas river authority charge property owners or create a taxing district to fund dam repairs?
The AG gave a split answer. After two Guadalupe River dam failures drained Lake Wood (2016) and Lake Dunlap (2019), a state senator asked how the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority could pay to…
Does Senate Bill 22 stop the Texas State Employee Charitable Campaign from listing abortion providers or their affiliates as eligible charities?
Yes, the AG concluded. The State Employee Charitable Campaign lets state workers give to approved charities through automatic payroll deductions; a Policy Committee decides which charities are…
Can a Texas city spend hotel occupancy tax money on a visitor center owned by a chamber of commerce?
Probably yes, the AG advised, but it depends on the facts. A district attorney asked whether the City of Big Lake could use municipal hotel occupancy tax revenue to repair a visitor information…
Which formula decides how Texas hands out county road grants from the SB 500 transportation fund?
It depends on the award date, the AG advised. A state representative asked which distribution formula applied to a $125 million supplemental appropriation that the Legislature put into the…
Are Maine school board members supposed to act on behalf of the town that elected them, or as state officers carrying out state law?
Assistant AG Sarah Forster concluded that Maine school board members were public officers responsible to the state, not town representatives. Once elected, they had to apply state education law…
Can a Tennessee county school board move its administrative offices to a federally controlled building like the TVA East Tower without violating the statutes that put 'public schools' and 'school property' in the board's custody?
Yes, with conditions. The Knox County Board of Education's duty under Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-2-203(a)(2) to 'manage and control all public schools' did not extend to its administrative offices,…
Who has to approve a change to the data sources used in Tennessee's TACIR fiscal-capacity model that drives the BEP school-funding formula?
Changes to the TACIR fiscal-capacity model's data sources had to be adopted by the State Board of Education and approved by the Commissioners of Education and Finance and Administration. The…
Under Washington's amended landlord-tenant statute, when can a service member terminate a residential lease, and what is the effective date of that termination?
Service members could clearly terminate after retirement or separation if their pre-service home of record was 35+ miles from the rental, and termination was generally effective on the date…
Which of the new misdemeanor crimes the Georgia legislature created in 2019 should require fingerprinting at arrest?
The AG designated 7 of the 9 reviewed 2019 misdemeanors as fingerprintable: false reports to the Agricultural Commodity Commission for Propane (§ 2-8-218(a)), battery against a sports official (§…
Could New Castle County withhold requested 911 flag information under Delaware FOIA's public-safety exemption?
Yes on this record. The AG upheld the County's withholding of requested 911 flag information after it represented that the material contained warnings and response strategies and that disclosure…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Winston Apple's state-run health cooperative initiative (2020-141)?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. The Apple petition (2020-141) proposed amending Chapter 192, RSMo, to…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Winston Apple's initiative to restructure the Missouri legislature (2020-140)?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. The Apple petition (2020-140) proposed amending Article III to cut the…
If an Arkansas probationer with a medical-marijuana card tests positive for THC, can probation officers, prosecutors, or courts revoke probation, and do they have to report the positive test to federal authorities?
Probation officers, prosecutors, and judges have discretion (not a mandate) to revoke probation when a positive THC test violates a 'no federal-law violations' condition. There is no Arkansas…
Can a city council let its engineer negotiate professional-services contracts and direct the mayor's negotiations on larger contracts?
The AG said the mayor retains final say over city service contracts, and the council cannot use its fiscal authority to direct the mayor's negotiations. Whether the proposed ordinance crossed those…
Can a sitting Washington county commissioner or councilmember be appointed by their own county legislative body to fill a vacant state legislative seat?
Yes. The AG reversed a series of opinions issued from 1965 to 1987. The Washington Constitution sets only two qualifications for state legislators (citizenship and being a qualified voter in the…
Do Virginia 'Second Amendment sanctuary' resolutions adopted by counties have any legal effect?
No. The Virginia AG concluded that local resolutions declaring exemption from anticipated gun violence prevention laws have no legal effect. Under the Virginia Constitution, the Code of Virginia,…
When a second protective order issues against the same person, can Virginia law enforcement delete the first one from VCIN?
No. The Virginia AG concluded that a protective order stays in the Virginia Criminal Information Network until a court orders it dissolved or it expires by its own terms or by operation of law. Both…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Mary Anne Sedey's voter registration initiative version 2020-136?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. This Sedey petition (2020-136, version 8) proposed amending Article VIII to…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Mary Anne Sedey's voter registration initiative version 2020-131?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. This Sedey petition (2020-131, version 3) proposed amending Article VIII to…
Can DelDOT withhold draft property appraisals during eminent-domain negotiations as 'potential litigation' records?
Yes. The Delaware AG ruled DelDOT did not violate FOIA when it withheld draft property appraisals and communications with its appraiser during eminent-domain negotiations with Ocean One Holdings.…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Mary Anne Sedey's automatic voter registration initiative version 2020-139?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. This Sedey petition (2020-139, version 11) proposed amending Article VIII…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Mary Anne Sedey's automatic voter registration initiative version 2020-138?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. This Sedey petition (2020-138, version 10) proposed amending Article VIII…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Mary Anne Sedey's automatic voter registration initiative version 2020-137?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. This Sedey petition (2020-137, version 9) proposed amending Article VIII to…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Mary Anne Sedey's voter registration initiative version 2020-135?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. This Sedey petition (2020-135, version 7) proposed amending Article VIII to…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Mary Anne Sedey's voter registration initiative version 2020-134?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. This Sedey petition (2020-134, version 6) proposed amending Article VIII to…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Mary Anne Sedey's voter registration initiative version 2020-133?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. This Sedey petition (2020-133, version 5) proposed amending Article VIII to…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Mary Anne Sedey's voter registration initiative version 2020-132?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. This Sedey petition (2020-132, version 4) proposed amending Article VIII to…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Mary Anne Sedey's voter registration initiative version 2020-130?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. This Sedey petition (2020-130, version 2) proposed amending Article VIII to…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Mary Anne Sedey's automatic voter registration initiative version 2020-129?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. This Sedey petition (2020-129) proposed amending Article VIII of the…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Deirdre Hirner's recreational marijuana initiative version 2020-128?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. This Hirner petition (2020-128) proposed amending Article XIV of the…
Does Little Rock have to release a list of every city employee's name, salary, job title, and full/part-time status if a citizen asks for it?
Yes. Basic public employment information (name, salary, job title, department, full/part-time status, hours) is a personnel record and is open to inspection under FOIA. The AG had said this many…
When both the Washington governor and lieutenant governor are out of state at the same time, who has the legal authority to act as governor?
The elected governor still does. The constitution and statutes line up the lieutenant governor as acting governor when only the governor is gone, but neither extends the line of succession to other…
Did the Missouri AG approve the Secretary of State's summary statement for Deirdre Hirner's recreational marijuana legalization initiative (2020-127)?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.334. The Hirner petition (2020-127) proposed amending Article XIV of the…
Are the salaries of city employees public information that anyone can request?
Yes. Public employee base salary is a personnel record under FOIA, and the AG has consistently said its release rarely meets the 'clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy' threshold. Tax…
Can the City of Beebe release a year's worth of suspension and termination records under FOIA without running afoul of personnel record privacy?
On the face of the records, yes. The AG could not verify each underlying determination but said the decision to release the suspension/termination records appeared not inconsistent with FOIA. One…
Could Georgetown pay Habitat for Humanity to repair private homes in a targeted neighborhood?
The Attorney General did not give an unconditional yes or no. It said the city had to determine whether the spending primarily served public redevelopment rather than private homeowners. If Habitat…
Could Beaufort school employees use the district grievance policy to complain about a board member?
The Attorney General said an employee complaint about a board member could be a grievance, but the district’s existing policy was poorly suited to resolve it because the superintendent, who lacked…
Did the Missouri AG approve the form of the State Auditor's fiscal note summary for Winston Apple's initiative petition 2020-141?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.175.4. The summary projected that costs would equal savings for state entities, with…
Did the Missouri AG approve the form of the State Auditor's fiscal note summary for Winston Apple's initiative petition 2020-140?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.175.4. The letter does not describe the initiative's subject; it reproduces the cost…
Did the Missouri AG approve the form of the State Auditor's fiscal note summary for Mary Ann Sedey's initiative petition 2020-139?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.175.4. The letter does not describe what the initiative would do; it reproduces only…
Did the Missouri AG approve the form of the State Auditor's fiscal note summary for Mary Ann Sedey's initiative petition 2020-138?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.175.4. The letter does not describe what the initiative would do; it reproduces only…
Did the Missouri Attorney General approve the fiscal note summary for Mary Ann Sedey's proposed Article VIII constitutional initiative (petition 2020-137)?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary under § 116.175.4. The approval was a narrow statutory check on form, not an endorsement of the petition or a…
Did the Missouri Attorney General approve the fiscal note summary for Mary Ann Sedey's proposed Article VIII constitutional initiative (petition 2020-136)?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary under § 116.175.4. The approval was a narrow statutory check on form, not an endorsement of the petition or a…
Did the Missouri Attorney General approve the fiscal note summary for Mary Ann Sedey's proposed Article VIII constitutional initiative (petition 2020-135)?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary under § 116.175.4. The approval was a narrow statutory check on form, not an endorsement of the petition or a…
Did the Missouri Attorney General approve the fiscal note summary for Mary Ann Sedey's proposed Article VIII constitutional initiative (petition 2020-134)?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary under § 116.175.4. The approval was a narrow statutory check on form, not an endorsement of the petition or a…
Did the Missouri Attorney General approve the fiscal note summary for Mary Ann Sedey's proposed Article VIII constitutional initiative (petition 2020-133)?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary under § 116.175.4. The approval was a narrow statutory check on form, not an endorsement of the petition or a…
Did the Missouri AG approve the form of the State Auditor's fiscal note summary for Mary Ann Sedey's initiative petition 2020-132?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.175.4. The letter does not describe the initiative's subject; it reproduces the…
Did the Missouri AG approve the form of the State Auditor's fiscal note summary for Mary Ann Sedey's initiative petition 2020-131?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.175.4. The letter does not describe the initiative's subject; it reproduces the…
Did the Missouri AG approve the form of the State Auditor's fiscal note summary for Mary Ann Sedey's initiative petition 2020-130?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.175.4. The letter does not describe the initiative's subject; it reproduces the…
Did the Missouri AG approve the form of the State Auditor's fiscal note summary for Mary Ann Sedey's initiative petition 2020-129?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.175.4. The letter does not describe the initiative's subject; it reproduces the…
Can Virginia cap private day special education tuition increases at 2% without violating federal law that guarantees a free, appropriate public education?
The cap is not expressly prohibited by federal law, but it does not relieve school divisions of their IDEA obligation. If the child's IEP requires a private day program and all qualifying providers…
Did the Missouri AG approve the form of the State Auditor's fiscal note summary for Deirdre Hirner's initiative petition 2020-128?
Yes. AG Eric Schmitt approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.175.4. The letter does not describe the initiative's subject; it reproduces the…
Can a for-profit company run a whole-body (willed-body) donation program in Texas?
Partly, the AG advised, and only with the Anatomical Board of Texas in the loop. The chairman of the Anatomical Board asked whether a commercial company like Science Care Corporation could run a…
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.