Attorney General's Office California Department of Justice

The Attorney General of California is the state attorney general of the Government of California. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" The Attorney General carries out the responsibilities of the office through the California Department of Justice.

In California, the Office of Attorney General was created in 1850 to contend with what was considered at the time an unstructured, inadequate and inconsistent system of law enforcement.

The Attorney General is the state's top lawyer and law enforcement official, protecting and serving the people and interests of California through a broad range of duties. The Attorney General's responsibilities include safeguarding the public from violent criminals, preserving California's spectacular natural resources, enforcing civil rights laws, and helping victims of identity theft, mortgage-related fraud, illegal business practices, and other consumer crimes.

Since its establishment, the Office of the Attorney General has been molded and changed by three distinct forces: first, the California Constitution and state government codes, which specify the duties and responsibilities of the Attorney General; second, legislative decree altering the duties of the Attorney General in response to specific state needs; and third, the personalities and ambitions of those who have served as Attorney General.